Third dimension to D-D duel

Nearly 10 years ago, millions of cricket fans in India saw the other face of Rahul Dravid.

Nearly 10 years ago, millions of cricket fans in India saw the other face of Rahul Dravid. That was when Allan 8216;White Lightning8217; Donald needled the mild Bangalorean after getting pulled for a six 8212; and got a mouthful in return.

It now turns out that the famous Donald-Dravid face-off had another twist in the end. After those ugly seconds in Durban, during the final of a triangular series, Donald walked up to the Indian dressing room to apologise. And what did Dravid do, smile gently and shake hands?

Think again.

8220;He didn8217;t want to speak to me and I couldn8217;t blame him,8221; said Donald. 8220;Anyway, I did apologise, and I8217;m happy to say he is speaking to me again. I went totally over the top. After he hit me for six, I said to Hansie Cronjeacute; that we needed to do something different. I bounced him and then I bounced him again.8221;

Probably, the fact that India lost the match despite the current Indian captain8217;s 84 didn8217;t help much, either. Today, hours after his take on Dravid got full-page play in The Sunday Times here, the pace ace was at the media centre of the Wanderers where the Indian scored his first Test century, his legs splayed out, relaxed waiting for the rains to clear and allow the first one-dayer between the two sides to start.

8220;We spent more time in team talks on Dravid than any other Indian batsman, including Sachin Tendulkar,8221; said Donald. 8220;Dravid has played the South African quicks the best.He has a good technique and is well organised. He plays well off the back foot on bouncy tracks and has succeeded in Australia and SA.8221;

Donald said Dravid has over the years shaped into a great one-day player, too. 8220;He is one of those players who quietly goes about his business and, before you know it, he has scored 50, at a run a ball. He rotates the strike well and is a good worker of the ball.8221;

The Times then goes on list why it has Dravid as their 8216;Big Personality8217; of the week 8212;and not a South African star, as you would expect.

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8220;The statistics show just why the South Africans hold Dravid in such high regard. Although Indian batsmen generally have struggled on fast, bouncy pitches in this country, Dravid has an average of 53.91 in away one-day internationals against South Africa, and 42.11 in Tests in this country.

8220;It is a better combined record than even the great Tendulkar and such dazzling batsmen as Mohammad Azharuddin, Sourav Ganguly and Virender Sehwag have achieved. He has scored the sixth highest number of runs in both Test and one-day internationals, with time to move higher.

8220;His Test batting average of 58.75 is the highest of any current player who has played in more than 20 Tests and only marginally behind the 60.97 which has long kept Graeme Pollock in second place behind the 99.94 of Don Bradman.8221;

And then, the clincher: 8220;Remarkably, he has done better away from India in Tests 65.28 and one-day internationals 42.03 than at home!8221;