Former India opener Aakash Chopra has recalled a funny incident from the 2004 Test series against Australia, when he was sledged by the burly opener Matthew Hayden.
Hayden had made his Australia debut in 1993 but only made a name for himself since 2000, when he and Justin Langer formed a dominating opening partnership. They and other players made Australia undefeatable in the 2000s.
Hayden even broke Brian Lara’s record of 375 runs, the highest Test score by a batter, by scoring 380 against Zimbabwe in 2004. He held the record for six months or so, as Lara smacked 400* against England.
Hayden, with Aakash Chopra recounting an unprecedented incident, captured the essence of the brutal Australia of that time.
"One day, Matthew Hayden sledged me even though I wasn't part of the playing XI in that match. I asked him, 'Why are you sledging me? I've just come onto the ground to field. He asked if the pitch was going to turn. I replied, 'You are the one batting; it’s your job to assess the pitch. I'm just here to field and will head back to the dressing room once I'm done'," Chopra said on 'The Cheeky Singles' Show.
Despite not being on the squad, the former Indian opener admitted that Hayden had once sledged him. All indications lead to the 2004 series, in which Australia visited India and defeated them 2-1, even though Chopra did not specify the precise series or match. Chopra was left out of the second Test in Chennai after scoring 0 and 5 in the series opener at Bengaluru. He returned to Nagpur for the series's third game.
Chopra mentioned Hayden's sledging caught him off guard because it was totally unprovoked.
"It was completely unprovoked, but that's the Australian way; it brings the best out of them. Hayden thrives on those moments on the field, and Australians set very high standards. Whatever happens on the ground stays there, and afterwards, they're happy to share a drink," he added.
Hayden retired in 2008 with 8625 runs in 103 Tests with 30 centuries, made 6133 runs in 161 ODIs with 10 centuries, and made 308 runs in 8 T20Is.
