Former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden, known for his aggressive batting, has often taken on formidable players from Team India including Harbhajan Singh and Ishant Sharma. It is difficult to dismiss Hayden’s single-handed retaliation to the Indian bowling strike in the 2001 Test series or the 14 runs he scored against Zaheer Khan in the 2003 ICC ODI World Cup finale, paving the way for Australia’s grand victory.
However, on India’s 71st Independence Day, Hayden reached out not only to the Indian cricketing fraternity but to the nation at large, by posting an English version of India’s national anthem on Twitter.
Although other cricketing stars like Virat Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar also conveyed their wishes on 15 August, the left-handed batsman’s tweet stood out as special, being a rival team.
Hayden’s followers on Twitter were quick to react, following his heartwarming message on Independence Day:
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