Sport - Cricket

Hayden ready for India

HYDERABAD: Matthew Hayden, the powerhouse of Australian batting line-up, says that he is ready to take on the Indians in the upcoming Test series.

“Having been here so often, I know what to expect. It is a delight to play in this part of the world for the people are so passionate about the sport,” the 36-year-old opener said here on Tuesday.

“The spin attack looks familiar with Kumble and Harbhajan in the side. But Ishant Sharma is a very confident bowler now and had a great series in Australia,” he said.

“The Indian Premier League gave most of the foreign cricketers a wonderful platform to master the conditions here. And that experience should be very handy for many of my teammates on this trip,” said Hayden. Hayden was very confident of the team’s security in India and felt that everything was in place.

On Andrew Symonds’s absence, he said, there was no bad blood amongst the players. Hayden hoped that his teammate, whom he rates as one of the finest all-rounders in the modern day game, would be back in action very soon.

On whether he feels the pressure because of the emergence of players like Shaun Marsh, Hayden quipped that he has been dropped more times than any other Australian.

“I have become to used to it. But I don’t think I will play in the next World Cup,” he said.

On the challenge of taking on Harbhajan Singh, a smiling Hayden said he had not singled out any particular bowler.

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