New Delhi: Veteran Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden has said that India will miss the services of their terrific opening batsmen Gautam Gambhir in the upcoming series against Australia. Gambhir has not been picked for the first two matches of the series against the Aussies.

Matthew Hayden seconded Australian captain Michael Clarke’s statement that Gambhir's exclusion from India's squad in the first two Tests was a big opportunity for the visitors as India’s opening combination looked a bit unstable.

Gautam Gambhir omission was result of his poor form in the recent series against England in which he wasn’t able to execute his batting skills. His weakness of going across and then trying to play the ball in the very beginning of his innings either led him being trapped before the wicket or got him bowled. Apart from that, his temptation of going after outside the off-stump balls had started raising question about his poor judgement of line and length of the deliveries.

Few days back it was Australian captain Michael Clarke who had said that not having Gautam Gambhir in Indian side makes their job a bit easier as he can be a real game changer in the sub-continent conditions. “He can use his feet very well to charge down our spinners and he is one of the best player of spin bowling in recent times,” Clarke had said.
Hayden, who had a good tour of India in 2001, said Gautam Gambhir, formed a "potent" opening combination with Virender Sehwag and the left-hander's exclusion will be a welcome relief for the Australian bowlers.