"Tu Bhi Lad Sakta Hai?": When Rahul Dravid's Anger Surprised Shoaib Akhtar During India-Pakistan Clash
NDTV
One such incident happened during the 2004 Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan, where even the usually calm Rahul Dravid lost his cool when he collided with star pacer Shoaib Akhtar.
Every time the Indian cricket team faces Pakistan cricket team, there is intense scrutiny from the fans as well as experts. Even the players sometime feel the pressure of this game. Often, there have been instances where emotions got the better of the players from either side during the two teams' face-off. One such incident happened during the 2004 Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan, where even the usually calm Rahul Dravid lost his cool when he collided with star pacer Shoaib Akhtar. The incident left Akhtar surprised as he knew Dravid as someone who always used to remain calm. Speed master @shoaib100mph remembers #RahulDravid's moment!Enjoy this down the memory lane of the #GreatestRivalry as you gear up for the next #INDvPAK !#BelieveInBlue | #AsiaCup | Aug 28, 6 PM | Star Sports & Disney+Hotstar pic.twitter.com/igbQDkF3eh
"That match, he (Rahul Dravid) wanted to have a word with me because we ran into each other and we collided. Before that Mohammed Kaif...I ran in, before I was about the deliver the ball, he (Kaif) moved away. I did not tell him anything but I was really angry. So, I got him out and then I got Yuvi out. We were touch close to win that game," Shoaib Akhtar said in a video posted by Star Sports on social media.
"Rahul Dravid ran into me. We collided and I told him to run on his side, and I will run on my side. So, Rahul Dravid got flared up. I told, 'Rahul, aggressive? How? I know the climate is changing but I didn't know tu bhi lad sakta hai?' It's a one-off thing, Rahul is a gentleman. But that spell, I bowled really fast. I made sure that I had an impact on India after the 2003 World Cup."
In that match, India batted first and were all out for 200 in 49.5 overs with Dravid (67) top-scoring. Akhtar picked four wickets in the match. Despite chasing a low total, Pakistan struggled before reaching the target in 49.2 overs.
