Silence on streets rocks Test great Matthew Hayden as the spectre of COVID bears down on India

Matthew Hayden says Australia must extend aid to India, with the returning Aussie struggling to make sense of the empty streets and the desperate fight for life in the gutted nation.

Matthew Hayden has returned from India but his heart still bleeds for the country.

Former champion batsman Hayden, who has been to India every year since the Indian Premier League started in 2008, will spend a fortnight in quarantine in Sydney before rejoining his family in Brisbane after returning to Australia this week from commentary duties after the competition was postponed.

Hayden, whose affection for India stretches back to the 2001 Australian tour there when he broke through as a Test player, penned an open letter to the Indian public titled “India deserves respect not scorn.’’

Watch The 2021 NRL Telstra Premiership Live & On-Demand with No Ad-Breaks During Play. New to Kayo? Try 14-Days Free Now >

A labourer pulls a cart past closed shops in a deserted street in New Delhi.

“I can proudly claim that I have seen India up close over the years and that is why my heart

bleeds to see it not only in agony at the moment, but also for the bad press that has been

hurled at it by those who I am not sure spend anytime here to understand India, Indian people

and its myriad challenges,’’’ Hayden wrote in the letter.

India has had more than 25 million COVID cases and 270,000 deaths and the escalation of the crisis prompted the IPL’s postponement.

Hayden, speaking from quarantine, told News Corp the lockdown-enforced silence on the normally bustling streets of India rocked him.

“The scenes were eerie,’’ Hayden said. “The streets of India being empty is something that we just are not used to. Very strange. It felt awful.

Matthew Hayden has a long affinity with India, which stretches back to the 2001 Australian tour there when he broke through as a Test player.

“Normally the streets are full of pulsating life from tuktuks beeping to people going about their business. Just the lack of energy and life felt very sad. The sight of people lining up for everyday things and not able to get what they wanted.

“To witness people in a fight for life (was disturbing). And these were people who otherwise would have been doing their daily duties such as goes to work or stopping at a street stall for the right veges. India is an incredibly industrious nation. You can’t fault their commitment to work yet all of a sudden that focus is suddenly on the need to survive.

Hayden has found memories of the cricketing nation as seen here in Hyderabad.

“I am not old enough to witness a nation drawn together under the oppression of war times, under the duress of struggling to meet societal needs, such as basic food and medical supplies and equipment … but now, I can honestly relate to such times witnessing the streets of India always so vibrant, now reeling from the aftermath of COVID-19.’’

Hayden said “it’s safe to say that India desperately requires assistance’’ and he hopes Australia continues to extend its $37 million support package which features two tonnes of medical equipment.

Hayden plays a shot at the Feroj Shah Kotla stadium in New Delhi in 2008. Picture: AFP

Hayden said before its postponement the IPL played a crucial role in giving the nation an uplifting distraction from its woes.

“At a time of desperate need during various stages of partial or hard lockdown, cricket was able to be on the front line providing support, comfort and most of all quality family entertainment.

“Not even our greatest sporting events, like our treasured State of Origin seasons or our classical Melbourne Cup Day comes even close to the overall hype and anticipation of an IPL season in India.’’