Life has come a full circle for Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell: from being dropped from the One-day side for want of performances to his coach Darren Lehmann questioning his place in the Test team for not scoring a century in the last two years to making one on his comeback.

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Maxwell silenced everyone with a maiden Test century in his fourth Test, and first since November 2014. He was all smiles after the day's play on Friday, and said he was a relieved man.

"It's been a long time since my last Test in 2014. To get back in the side in the first place was something that I really held close to my heart. I was so happy to be able to walk back on the field with the Australian Test team with the Baggy Green cap on and I was so filled with joy when I had the opportunity to do that again," Maxwell said about his return on Friday.

"I just didn't really want to waste the opportunity. I didn't want to make it my last Test, that's for sure. I know how bad it felt when I played that last game in Dubai and didn't play again. I just wanted to make it count and every opportunity I get from now on."

Maxwell had a restless Thursday night, remaining unbeaten on 82 overnight with his first century in sight.

"The celebration (on reaching the hundred) was probably more of the emotion of the whole night I had," the 28-year-old from Victoria said.

"You go to sleep 82 not out, you just put on a 150 with the skipper. I thought about it all night, I went through about 300-400 different scenarios that could happen the next day. Most of them weren't good. But ya, there was just so much emotion that fell out of me as soon as I got the hundred. Even thinking about it now, I've got a frog in my throat. It's just as special a moment I've had in my career and hopefully it's not the last," he added.

Maxwell said he wanted to emulate his skipper Steve Smith and stretch his Test career. "He probably lifts the team to a different level because he makes the game look so easy as well. I think we watch him play and everyone is in awe of the way he goes about it. He does it in such a unique, different way and he owns that. He doesn't care what people say about his technique. He has his technique doubters, but when the bloke's got 19 Test tons and averages over 60, I don't think you can knock it too much.

"He's just a guy people feed off. He's very inspirational, I suppose with the way he's gone about his career. When he came into the team, he was a leg-spinning all-rounder, batting at 8 or 9 I think it was. What a turnaround he's done. That's a long way off, but I'd love to fall in his footsteps and change my career from what I started to as well," he added.

Having scored a maiden Test century on good batting conditions, he does not want to let it go waste. Asked about how the surface would behave in the coming days, he said: "I've no idea. I just hope it explodes."