"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. Hayden feels India's choice of venue for the first Test of the four-match series was strategic. "Australia will be playing on pitches with two different soil types. They will start on the red soil in Chennai then black soil in the other three Tests. Red soil pitches provide real spinning conditions, so the choice of venue for the first Test is probably strategic. "India will try to get off to a flyer, then they will go to more benign conditions where they will try to drown us in some ways," he said. Appreciating the diverse culture of India, the burly opener also asked his countrymen to explore the nation during the tour. "Some of the great experiences I have had on tours were with friends outside the Australian touring party. You have to embrace the Indian experience," Hayden said. "I have a great affiliation with their food and a great appreciation for the Indian religions and festivals. The best thing I could say to the Australian cricketers is just open your eyes to new things," he said.