With India looking helpless against a belligerent Steve Smith in the ongoing ODI series, Glenn Maxwell acknowledged his teammate's "scary" form, saying the premier batsman has refound his best touch with the bat and is looking good for a lot more as the summer goes on.
Smith's successive tons have been key to hosts sealing the series 2-0 and having an edge over the visitors right at the beginning of the long season ahead.
Read Also: Adam Gilchrist lauds Steve Smith's expanded range after successive ODI tons
On Sunday (November 29), Smith's magnificent 66-ball 104 helped Australia post a mammoth 389/4 on the board and take the game away from the Indians in the first half itself.
"As he said the other day, he has found his hands, he is looking pretty scary at the moment for opposition teams. He is placing the ball as well as anyone around the world. When he puts the foot down, he goes and goes hard," Maxwell said at the virtual post-match press conference, facilitated by official broadcasters Sony Networks.
"He is picking his spots. He is calculated (on the off-side) and he has got so much time at the moment. A lot of time, you judge him by the way he starts his innings and he just started by hitting the middle of the bat consistently," he added.
Maxwell also spoke on his own form with the bat as he contributed another brilliant late-order fifty towards the cause, scoring 63 runs off just 29 balls before chipping in with five relatively economical overs (1/34) and a wicket.
"I suppose it comes down to situations and conditions. And Sydney has been a place where I have had a bit of success in the past, a great wicket to bat on, there is always a lot of space out there and I'm trying to find that short boundary."
"But yes, it is been nice to sort of get bit of momentum in ODI cricket. Sometimes it is not easy to find consistency in the long road, but when the top-order is doing their job as well as they are at the moment, that makes my role a lot easier down (at the) bottom," he said.
Maxwell lauded openers Aaron Finch (60) and David Warner (83) for once again setting the game up for Australia and laying an ideal foundation for Smith and the rest to just carry the momentum forward.
"Yes it certainly has (been an ideal template), when you have got a guy like Steve Smith coming in and getting 100 of 62 balls, it's pretty special to watch and it feels like we are just setting the platform beautifully, weathering that early storm and that opening partnership has just been sensational for us," he signed off.
Australia will hope to whitewash their arch-rivals and fetch further crucial points towards the ICC Super League in the third and final ODI in Canberra on Wednesday (December 2).
(Inputs from PTI)
