Arjun Tendulkar and Samit Dravid, sons of Indian cricket stalwarts Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid, created much buzz on social media on Tuesday after coming up against one another in a tournament held in Bengaluru by the Karnataka Cricket Association. The duo’s enticing meeting eventually opened up a treasure trove of nostalgia, weaving their famous surnames back together on the field with a twist.
Albeit short-lived, the contest between junior Tendulkar and Dravid Jr. made for an interesting three-ball sequence. The rising Karnataka star, Samit, struck a four off Arjun, who represents Goa, before being dismissed off the third delivery he faced up against the left-arm seamer. While it made for a unique Tendulkar-Dravid union on the scorecards, it is worth remembering that the episode wasn’t the first of its kind on the cricket field. Sachin and Rahul, two of India’s finest batters, have teamed up to produce one of the country’s most prolific partnerships ever during their time — 11037 runs in 241 matches, averaging 47.98 with 31 100-plus stands! However, the wily Sachin has also managed to castle the impregnable Rahul Dravid with the ball on the field during one of the rare pre-IPL days where they represented separate teams in India.
How Sachin Tendulkar clean bowled Rahul Dravid in a final in Bengaluru
In an interesting coincidence, the Sachin-Rahul dismissal was also marked in Bengaluru, like their sons’ recent encounter, 22 years ago!
Playing for different teams in the NKP Salve Challenger Trophy in September 2003, Tendulkar and Dravid were slated to meet in the final at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The annual limited-overs tournament, which began in 1994, was traditionally played between three sides, comprising the 36 best players in the country.
Leading India B into the final, Dravid was first posed with a superb Tendulkar’s 88-run knock for India A, led by Anil Kumble. Tendulkar’s knock ensured that Dravid’s men were set a steep 315-run chase.
Losing three quick wickets, Dravid forged a brief stand with Yuvraj Singh before Sachin’s golden arm steered the game in his team’s favour. Rolling his arm in the 23rd over, Sachin clean bowled Rahul Dravid on 27. India B eventually descended into chaos, bundling out for only 215 runs in an eventual 99-run defeat. Having had the number of his long-time India teammate, Sachin walked away with the Player of the Match title alongside Sridharan Sriram. The Tendulkar-Dravid prelude to Monday’s events in the Goa vs KSCA XI in Bengaluru was just as much as fun all those years ago.
