H ayden, who turned out to be a nightmare for the Indian spinners during the 2001 series, came up with a list of dos and don'ts for the touring Australian contingent in order to achieve success on Indian soil.

He gave advice to the Australian batsmen on how to tackle the turning ball on Indian pitches.

"Going to India, there is always a big mention of their spinners. I don't think we should buy into that too much. It's a spinning ball, it's not like it is coming down on you at 165km/h," said Hayden, who made an incredible 549 runs at an average of 110 during the 2001 tour of India.

"There is way too much made of various strategies; you can't be thinking you have to go there and change your game. You have to have invested the time to come up with a few scoring options. You just can't sit there and wait for a spinner to dominate you," Hayden said.

"The successful method is not the same for everyone. My strategy was to come forward - more of a height thing. Being so tall, my obvious advantage was my reach. It allowed me to smother spin ... I could play straight down the ground and the sweep shot as well," he added.