The legendary Australian batsman Matthew Hayden can’t be termed as a household name for the cricket fans all around the world. He had an intimidating stature owing to which he was able to thrash the best bowling attacks in the world. In all formats of the game, most of the bowlers don’t prefer to bow to him as he was hard to restrict when in full flow. He was also a part of the Australian national squad in their historic Test series versus India in 2000-01.

Hayden has had featured in various seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He played 32 games in three seasons for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) from 2008 to 2010. In IPL 2018, he was seen gracing his presence in the commentary box along with other big names like Kumar Sangakkara, David Llyod, and many others.

Matthew’s connection with Chennai is more than just cricket as he recently praised the people of the city and also mentioned it as his bastion of spirituality. He said, “My spiritual home is certainly within Tamil Nadu. I have always had a deep connection with the people (in Tamil Nadu), the way they revere cricket. They are a coastal community as well.”

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He further added, “My preference is in the south (of India). I like the humidity and the coastal environment. I have a deep connection with the cuisine. India is a very emotional place. It is a place where there is great acceptance of people. There is a kindness of human heart here.”

Moreover, Hayden, the brand ambassador of the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL), revealed about how he planned to share the delicacy of the city with his spouse and daughter. As quoted in the International Business Times (IBT), he said, “My wife and daughter are over here for the first time. I wanted to share with them that connection to the beautiful people in India. It is amazing to wake up every day and see the smile on their faces and finally they understand dad was talking about this at home.”