Warner can be our best ever: Hayden

Not only is he must-watch television but David Warner could be Australia's greatest opening batsman ever, according to legend Matthew Hayden.

Warner has risen from the bad boy of Australian cricket to the premier Test opener in the world after he was dropped for his late-night altercation with England's Joe Root in June 2013.

Since his return in the fourth Ashes Test at Old Trafford, no opener has scored as many Test runs as Warner's 3,238, or as many centuries as his 13.

At 29, Warner's best years are still ahead of him as he continues to learn the nuances of batting at the highest level, said Hayden. 

"I think he can be the best," Hayden told cricket.com.au in Rajkot when asked just how good Warner could be as an Australian opening batsman.

"He certainly knows now how to temper his performance and that's the hardest thing to learn.

"You can teach a lot of skills, but the mindset of a batsman is a mindset that takes time to learn. 

"That's why a lot of guys might disagree with a guy like (former Australia captain and Cricket Australia National Talent Manager) Greg Chappell, who says you can play your best cricket before you're 23. 

"I think that's complete rubbish. 

"As a batsman you need to develop your timing. 

"You have a look at all the players that have come out of the last era, with the exception of Ricky Ponting and Michael Clarke, they've all been guys who have matured into their performance. 

"Davey needed to mature as much as a person as he did a cricketer and he's done that. 

"He's made that transition into a family life, into a solid member of the team and he's got the temperament to play across each format of the game. 

"He's a joy to watch. The living room in our house comes alive every time he comes on to bat. 

"It's stop, hold the phone and watch Dave play. He's brilliant."

Warner's biggest challenger, statistically, for the mantle as the best opener in the Baggy Green comes from the man who is praising him.

At the same stage in Warner's career – 51 Tests – Hayden is 153 runs and two centuries in front.

Among Australian Test openers, it's Hayden in first place, Warner close behind in second, and in third is Bill Lawry with 4,159 runs after 51 matches.

However, Hayden could not keep up his imperious pace for the remaining 52 Tests of his glittering career, scoring 12 more tons while his average dropped from a dizzying 58.97 to a still outstanding 50.73.

If Warner matches Hayden's 103 Tests and continues to score at the rate he is currently at - a century roughly every third Test - the Australian vice-captain is set to be on 33 hundreds by the time he reaches the Queenslander's mark for matches played. 

While numbers alone don't determine greatness, few would argue against Warner being in the discussion if his insatiable appetite for runs is not satisfied by the time he brings up century of Tests played for his country.

Warner's aggressive stroke play at the top of the order and brilliant eye make him one of the most feared batsman on the planet, but it's the way he's learned to be judicious with his shot selection which has made him such a dominant force against the new ball, said Hayden.

"He was challenged early by the mentality that you all get into when you're playing a lot of the shorter version of the game of hitting every ball," Hayden said.

"The secret to Test cricket is leaving the ball well. They're opposite temperaments.

"He's combined that skill of being able to know where your off-stump is, play straight for as long as you can but he's always naturally going to be aggressive.

"He's got that mindset of six, four and so on and not the other way up."