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Rediscovering the recipe for success

Matthew Hayden's colossal Indian shadow is shrinking fast

Peter English
Peter English
28-Oct-2004


The series in 2001 might have been an odyssey, but Matthew Hayden will look back at this tour with his eyes wide shut © AFP
Matthew Hayden's colossal Indian shadow is shrinking fast. Arriving with a reputation for domination, he has struggled to reproduce even a reminder of the destruction he caused three years ago. Where 2001 was an odyssey, he may look back at this series with his eyes wide shut. On the previous tour he gulped 549 runs in three Tests; here he has 185 so far.
Nobody dreamed he would match the phenomenal run that belatedly launched his Test career. But he was expected to muscle the Indian bowlers and convert his starts. Instead he has seemed tentative and between scripts. He has said he finds the middle the most peaceful spot in India, because he's the one in control. At the moment his mind appears to be filled with jumbled thoughts, and it is reflected in his scores of 26, 30, 58, 39, 23 and 9. Should he be patient or set the pace? Should he sweep or stay back? He has combined the methods and mastered none.
Highlight reels of 2001 show a batsman who had more than just the sweep as a weapon. He knew his plan and he played to his own tempo. He countered Harbhajan Singh's flight by moving towards him and hitting hard down the ground - he finished that series with 12 sixes. He would force him to bowl flatter and wider, feeding his sweep and reducing the risk. His partners tried to copy, but missed the vital first phase and found themselves trying to swipe looping balls that could stay low or pop into their chests. It proved an impossible task with a horizontal bat, and Harbhajan finished with 32 wickets.
Without the down-the-ground work Hayden has faltered in this series. In the first innings at Bangalore he top-edged Harbhajan with a sweep, and in his initial outing at Chennai he tried to remember how to bash Harbhajan straight, but VVS Laxman collected a miscue in the deep. Exhausted after days in the field, he had two chances in the second innings before offering the open edge that had hampered him as he tried to make the transition from greedy Sheffield Shield batsman to Test player. His muscles' memory had brought indecision.
Today when facing Zaheer Khan, who removed him with a wonderful delivery in the first innings, Hayden attempted to make things happen and stood out of his crease. But his bat was coming through early, his timing was out, and his foot movement was confused. A purposeless lean forward brought an inside edge and his middle stump went down. It was as if he was facing Brett Schultz, another left-armer, who caused him trouble in South Africa in 1997 and was responsible for him missing an Ashes tour.
Hayden's place in the team after 58 Tests is now settled, and he has 5244 runs. He's so comfortable with his life that he's launching a cookbook with instructions for chilli Mumbai lagoon crab and dhal and mango chutney. In long careers unfulfilled patches are expected, but Hayden may need to revisit the recipes that made him a success.
Peter English is the Australasian editor of Wisden Cricinfo.