Test veteran Peter Siddle has talked up the prospect of Glenn Maxwell returning to the Australian side for next year's tour of India despite his shock Sheffield Shield axing.
Maxwell was left to carry the drinks as Victoria cruised to victory over Tasmania in their day-night clash ending on Friday at the MCG.
Victoria insisted Maxwell was omitted for team balance after an underwhelming one-day cup but it begged the question of whether there was lingering resentment about his unsuccessful attempt to move to NSW before the start of the domestic season.
The allrounder's axing removed an opportunity to show what he can do in the game's extended format after last week describing Test cricket as "by far" his best format.
While his chances of being named in the Test side for the upcoming summer of cricket were already remote, Maxwell's confidence facing spin bowlers made him an obvious candidate for selection in Australia's tour of India starting in February.
Siddle says he still expects Maxwell to be in strong contention for the India series after having played two of his three career Tests on the subcontinent.
"He performed pretty well last time he went over there so he'll get another opportunity and we'll see how he goes," Siddle said on Friday.
"He's a class player and he's got a lot of talent. He's spent a lot of time in India so I'm sure if he can find some form in the back half of the season and before that tour, he can definitely put his name up there for selection."
Maxwell is expected to return to cricket at club level in Melbourne on Saturday but Siddle was confident the 28-year-old would bounce back from the disappointment of being dropped.
"I think it's just about him finding some form and showing the selectors that he deserves that spot," he said.
"That's cricket, isn't it? When you've got blokes scoring runs and you've got everyone back on board, it is hard to get into sides. He just lucked out a bit there."
