8216;Rebel8217; Warne would not have been a successful Oz captain: Hayden

8220;Strategically,Warne might have made a great Test captain,but I am not sure he8217;d have been as successful as the two men chosen ahead of him,Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting,because he would not have been as inclusive as they were,8221; Hayden wrote.

Hayden cited one instance when Warne gave a damn to the team rules 8212; during the much-criticised boot camp conceived by coach John Buchanan as a means of team bonding before the 2006 Ashes in Australia.

8220;On first day,we were taken to a warehouse. All we were allowed to take was a backpack,a sleeping bag,a hutchie,a couple of shirts,two pairs of socks,some undies,joggers and small items. Predictably,Warne had too much stuff,including several packets of Benson amp; Hedges cigarette,which were taboo.

8220;Warnie told the man in charge 8216;they are medicinal. Just to set the record straight: I will do whatever you want me to do,but if these don8217;t go,the King8217;s is not going. So the iron-clad army rules were broken 8212; in the first hour of the camp! 8230; the King got his way,8221; Hayden wrote.

8220;I laughed at the incident8230; great talent often comes with a bit of rebelliousness. Deep down I had mixed feelings about Warnie getting away with it because the purpose of being there was to knuckle down and rebuild after the 2005 Ashes humiliation in England. And if you were not going to be part of the solution,you were only creating more problems. The 8216;my way or highway8217; mentality was the reason for having the camp in the first place,8221; he wrote.

Hayden,however,said that 8220;a shamelessly rebellious and brutally honest8221; Warne was easier to deal with than many players as 8220;you knew exactly where you stood8221;.

Hayden felt one of the reasons why Warne could not do well in India,where pitches assist spinners,was he chose wrong strategy by only thinking of turning the ball too much.

8220;I thought Warnie8217;s problem in India was simply that he tried to spin the ball too much. Big turn never worried the Indians. They have played it almost from the cradle. Warnie would have been better bowling a straighter line,keeping the pressure on with sliders and zooters and other more subtle tricks,8221; Hayden wrote while recalling how VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid orchestrated one of the most memorable Test wins after following-on at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in 2001.

8220;There was no question Warnie had the ability to test the Indians,and it was never a matter of them being too good for him. He just had the wrong strategy,8221; he said.

Hayden retired in 2009 after scoring 8625 runs from 103 Tests at an average of 50.73 but he said he had full of self doubt early in his international career which even led him to go for meditation before a Test.

8220;I was full of doubts about the present and future. I felt I was walking a tight rope every innings. I was not good enough,I was close,but not the full package 8211; I lacked the mental stamina to thrive in Test cricket. The nuts and bolts of my game were up to Test standard,but crucial self-belief was missing. I had it a few years later,when I was able to absorb some setbacks in the comfort of knowing I8217;d made 20-plus Test tons,8221; the Queenslander wrote,recalling his early struggling days.

Hayden made just 15 and five in his debut Test in March 1994 against South Africa in Johannesburg and in his comeback match in December 1996 against West Indies,he again lopped by scoring five and a duck.

He thought he would be dropped for the next Test in Adelaide in early 1997 but surprisingly retained his place.

But before this match,he was so much under pressure that he found himself in a trance-like situation while attending a meditation class at a place near his team hotel.

8220;During the meditation class I drifted into a trance-like state and actually fell asleep. For a while it seemed my problems had been solved but then,halfway through the class,I woke up in a nervous sweat. It was as if I8217;d dreamt about edging Curtly Ambrose8217;s first ball to second slip!,8221; he wrote.

Through his countless ups and downs,Hayden had sensed that Allan Border,another Queenslander,had been a constant backer of him. But that did not stop Hayden from having a verbal showdown with Border during a match between Queensland versus New South Wales.

8220;AB8217;s temper was legendary. In a match against NSW at the Gabba in 1993,just after we had been bowled out he was

stoking us up for a red-hot effort with the ball because he thought we still have five overs to play before stumps8230; but the stumps had been drawn by the umpires.

8220;Back came AB with a cry 8216;let8217;s get into them8217;. I said,8217;8230; they have drawn stumps8217;. He just exploded. 8216;So you are happy with your performance today,are you?8217; I had made just nine and this set me off. 8216;It8217;s all right for you to hide down at number five or six 8211; why don8217;t you come up to the top of the order and see how happy you are8217;.8221;

True to the title of his autobiography,Hayden said subtle diplomacy have never been his strong point and he would speak his mind out though the directness had brought his share of awkward moments.