The Guide caught up with former Australian cricketer, opener Matthew Hayden, who was the mainstay of the national team for over a decade and is now donning a chef's hat. A self-taught cook, he loves Indian food and has even made a mean chicken curry for cricketer Parthiv Patel!

Fast bowlers feared his imposing, gladiator-like pose as he strode out to open the Australian innings. Spinners would lose their rhythm and loop as he stepped out of the crease to hoist them. Matthew Hayden, the cricketer, rode like a colossus but his passion for cooking has finally got the better of him,u00a0 after retirement from professional cricket. Today, as his life gets ready to be showcased in Home Ground, a six-part television series that goes beyond cooking and interviews, he takes time out to throw light on his love affair with food, his Indian culinary exploits and MS Dhoni's interest in visiting his backyard kitchen, in an email interview.