India-Pakistan clash is one of cricket’s greatest rivalries and every encounter is highly emotional. The intensity and the pressure get the better of the best of the players.
The 2004 Champions Trophy match between India and Pakistan was no different. The usually calm Rahul Dravid was the one to lose his cool when he collided with Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar. The incident left the speedster surprised as he knew Dravid as someone who always used to remain calm.
"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, and as I was about to 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 Yuvraj (Singh) out. We were close to winning that game," 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."
As the match panned out, India opted to bat first and were bowled out for 200 in 49.5 overs. Dravid top-scored 67. Akhtar picked four wickets in the match. During the chasing, Pakistan struggled before acheiving the target in 49.2 overs.
