Matthew Hayden spends time with Australia players at nets ahead of second ODI
Hayden had a particularly long chat with Maxwell.
Australia stunned India 2-0 in the two-match T20I series but could not maintain the momentum in the first ODI against Virat Kohli’s men in the first ODI in Hyderabad on Saturday. Powered by an unbeaten 141-run partnership between MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav, India beat the visitors by 6 wickets to go 1-0 up in the five-match series. The two sides will meet for the second match at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur on Tuesday where the Kangaroos will eye to square the series before it gets too late.
Aaron Finch’s men had net practice in the scorching sun at the venue on Monday and former Australia opener Matthew Hayden appeared among them to provide necessary tips to the players, including both in-form Glenn Maxwell and out-of-form Finch. Hayden is currently in India for commentary duties for the series and was found spending time with the yellow jerseys ahead of the first T20I in Visakhapatnam last month.
Hayden had a particularly long chat with Maxwell, who was adjudged the Man of the Series in the T20Is after slamming an unbeaten hundred in the second game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. Hayden was also seen demonstrating shot selections to the middle-order batsman after which the latter returned to the stadium for a shoot with Cricket Australia.
Hayden came at coach Langer’s request
Hayden was reportedly requested by Australia coach Justin Langer to spend time with the players. Hayden and Langer had been a prominent opening pair for Australia in Tests and they have scored 5,655 runs in 113 innings which is next only to the highest partnership score of 6,482 between the iconic Windies opening pair of Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes.
“It was obviously great to have JL (Justin Langer’s) great mate and a legend of the game come back,” Finch, who is having a terrible run with the bat for some time now, was quoted as saying by Sportstar.
India have won their last three encounters against Australia at the VCA Stadium – by 99 runs in 2009; by six wickets in 2013 and by 7 wickets in 2017.
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