Test cricket is a celebration of the game: Hayden

With well over 8,000 runs (30x100) in Tests and over 6,000 (10x100) in ODIs, Matthew Hayden will remain an absolute stalwart of the modern era. The 37-year-old, who retired earlier this year, spoke about his career and thoughts on cricket. Q. How has life been since quitting all forms of cricket except this T20-driven IPL?

Hayden: (Laughs) It has been a lot more relaxing, that’s for sure... Haven’t faced the grind of what used to be the schedule while playing for Australia... I continue to train hard, though... That’s a part of life I haven’t left behind... I’ve been having a lot of fun at home... Today, I’m able to be a dad to my kids (Grace, Joshua, Thomas).

Q. Haven’t you missed the Australia dressing room?

Hayden: When you love something, in this case playing for Australia, then it’s difficult to let go... But I don’t regret my decision... I had a very full and rich career for 16 years or so... As a youngster, I hadn’t dreamt of playing for even half that period...

Q. That the selectors wouldn’t be considering you for ODIs seemed to have influenced your decision...

Hayden: Look, that was part of the reason... I’d enjoy playing one-day cricket and didn’t know why I’d get dropped now and then... The reality was that they (the selectors) needed to move on and their reasons were spot-on... They’d begun to look at the 2011 World Cup... It was an ambitious call, but it was their call... That I can play the T20 game shows that I could’ve contributed in the 50-over format as well, but it wasn’t my call... There were other reasons for leaving... Family... Then, when I’d look around the dressing room, I’d see old mates missing... Also, the flame had gone out of me where Test cricket was concerned... The opposition had begun to bowl in a particular manner, to keep me out of play, and I didn’t enjoy that.

Q. Why did you, towards the end, stop being consistent?

Hayden: It wasn’t due to pressure... I felt I somehow didn’t have the same punch... I’d be consistent when the team and I were under pressure, but once that phase went, I’d get out... Don’t know why, but that would happen.

Q. It’s strange that you cracked mentally...

Hayden: Well, the tank had become empty... I just didn’t have it in me any more... There were other challenges to look forward to... So, while I retired from representative cricket, except this IPL, I didn’t retire from life.

Q. Regrets?

Hayden: Look, you do make mistakes in life, but I’ve become a very balanced and happy and very rewarded person... The balance enabled me to play good cricket and I don’t have regrets.

Q. What did you feel on the morning after you’d announced your retirement?

Hayden: (Emotionally) An overwhelming sense of relief... I was tired too... Actually, I had to get up very early because of interviews for two breakfast shows on TV... I ended up giving 50 live interviews that day... I didn’t mind because I’d wanted to thank fans and could do so through those interviews. The public needed to be thanked for having made it such a grand journey for me.

Q. You’re associated with Cricket Australia’s indigenous programme. How passionate are you about it?

Hayden: Very passionate... Besides, business interests are keeping me busy... Now, I’d like to make my vacation my vocation! My first-class debut was in 1991-92 and, so, I put in close to two decades... After that much time, I’d been left a little dry on enthusiasm.

Q. But what motivates you to play (for the Chennai Super Kings) in the IPL?

Hayden: The T20 game... It’s great if an opening batsman can have the freedom to play his shots from the first ball... It’s a great way to express yourself... I’ve been the dominating type and I’d always like to express myself, so the T20 game suits me perfectly. In fact, because of the freedom I’d get, I’d enjoyed ODIs more than Test cricket in the last few years of my career. Test cricket is very, very hard and had been grinding me down.

Q. Your departure has seen Australia open with Simon Katich and Phillip Hughes in Tests... Your thoughts on Hughes?

Hayden: He’s had an incredible start... That’s terrific because there’s pressure when you play for your national team and it’s good to begin on a successful note. Hughes is a very unassuming person and seems to fit well... He’s an even-tempered personality.

Q. Should that combination be the way forward for Australia?

Hayden: Absolutely... They work well together... They’ve been exceptionally consistent in the short time that they’ve been together... The top three positions constitute the engine room of a batting line-up and consistency is essential. They’re at the top of their game and have the skills to do the job for a length of time.

Q. What’s your message for young openers?

Hayden: Play an exciting brand of cricket... Grab opportunities with both hands... And, if you get there, remember that Test cricket is a celebration of the game... Also, people come through the gates to watch batsmen score.

Q. Australia’s dominance has taken a hit with retirements...

Hayden: Perhaps, the era I played in, particularly 1999 onwards, will be remembered as unprecedented... The only other era I can think of is when the West Indies dominated in the late Seventies and the early Eighties... I consider myself fortunate that I could play in such a special era.

Q. When you look back on your career, which is the one moment which comes instantly to mind?

Hayden: That’s tough, mate... So many memories return... Every venue I go to has some memory or the other... As a team, we never played badly in any one venue... That’s the domination we had.

Q. Some of the biggest performers in this IPL have been batsmen on the wrong side of 30. Has their experience made the difference?

Hayden: Yes... Conditions in South Africa are different... More bounce, the ball holds more... It takes time to understand your game and to master conditions... So, experience counts. (After a pause) It’s best to go with your instincts... Some shots may terrify you, but you could play them if your instinct says so.

Q. Which franchise could win this edition?