Australia opener Matthew Hayden has stood by his comment about India but said he never meant to disrespect the nation.

According to reports from the ‘The Age' he feels admiration for India but was frustrated by the politics of cricket.

"The politics of cricket, I think, has gone mad. One of the things I love the most about India, is that you walk around the back of the hotel, and there's a man who's selling peanuts on the street for one cent a month, and he holds his head so high, and is so proud, as if he was making $2 million a month.

"It frustrates me that certain sections of humanity want to take someone like myself down, who is a really great admirer of the country, and who has really built his career on the back of the country in a very proud and honoured way," Hayden was quoted as saying in the ‘The Age'.

"We've had our competitive spats, but I'm sure that's only enhanced the reputation of India. It's made them play better against me, and I've played better against them.

"I stand by what I said. There is a large portion of India that is third world that is below the poverty line. But from my experience, it is those people who I admire the most," he added.

Hayden first made his International debut for Australia in 1993 against England and has since accumulated more than 15, 000 runs in both formats of the game.