A meme on Twitter featuring a satirical take on the reaction of KL Rahul to the performances of Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Maxwell on Friday has caught the attention of the players themselves, prompting a hilarious reaction.
Maxwell and Neesham were in fine form on Friday, during their respective clashes against India and West Indies. In the Sydney ODI, Maxwell smashed a 19-ball 45, comprising five fours and three sixes. Over in Auckland, Jimmy Neesham smashed a 24-ball 48* in a T20I against West Indies, and each player starred in their respective teams’ victories.
Their performances were in stark contrast to what they managed for Rahul’s Kings XI Punjab side in IPL 2020 over the last two months. In 13 matches in the IPL, Maxwell scored just 108 at an average of 15.42, not hitting a single six throughout the tournament. He hit three in 19 balls on Friday. Neesham had a similarly underwhelming IPL campaign, scoring 19 runs and taking two wickets in five matches.
#KLRahul after seeing #Maxwell and @JimmyNeesh play crucial knocks for their respective national teams.#INDvAUS #NZvWI #Cricket #IPL #KXIP pic.twitter.com/rpktFbbaco
— Varun (@iamvarun10) November 27, 2020
KXIP narrowly missed out on qualification for the playoffs of IPL 2020, with Rahul cutting an increasingly frustrated figure during the campaign. A fan attempted to capture the KXIP captain’s presumed frustration by editing in the face of Rahul on the famous meme of the unimpressed Pakistan fan.
It was an immediate hit on social media, with Neesham being among those who acknowledged it. “Hahaha that’s actually pretty good @Gmaxi_32,” he said, retweeting the post.
I apologised to him while I was batting 😂 🦁 🙏 #kxipfriends ❤️
— Glenn Maxwell (@Gmaxi_32) November 28, 2020
Maxwell then made a confession. ”I apologised to him while I was batting,” he said, in a tweet, with the hashtag #kxipfriends.
Maxwell and Rahul will clash again in Sydney on Sunday when India attempt to stay alive in the three-match ODI series after a heavy defeat in the series opener. Over in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand and West Indies will clash again in the second T20I.