"It's much nicer to see you without a ball in your hand" – Rahul Dravid relives his rivalry with Allan Donald

Team India head coach Rahul Dravid recently opened up about his rivalry with former Proteas pacer Allan Donald. He called him an intimidating fast bowler who gave him a stiff challenge on the field. The former India captain called it a relief to meet the current Bangladesh bowling coach off the field for that reason.

Speaking to Sony Sports Network and BCCI, Dravid said:

“He was a great bowler. An incredible bowler, probably one of the best I’ve ever played in my career. I must admit that when I see him now and meet him at the ground, I was telling him the other day that it’s much nicer to see you now like this without a ball in your hand. He was an intimidating fast bowler and a terrific fast bowler.”

Dravid further called it a privilege to play against the Proteas legend. He said:

“I would love to catch up with him as well and talk a little bit about fast bowling and his learnings. He’s gone on to become a very successful coach. Just the privilege of sharing the field with him is phenomenal.”

For the uninitiated, Donald had sledged Dravid after the batter hit him for a six during a tri-series final in Durban in 1997. With Sachin Tendulkar and Dravid going all guns blazing against South Africa, Donald lost his cool and allegedly abused the right-hander, which resulted in his wicket.

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“I overstepped the mark” - Allan Donald tenders an apology to Rahul Dravid after 25 years

Allan Donald has finally tendered an apology to Rahul Dravid for his unacceptable behavior in the aforementioned ODI. The former Proteas speedster admitted that he crossed the limit while reserving special praise for the Indian batting legend.

In a video shared by Sony Sports Network on their social media, he said:

“There was one ugly incident in Durban that I don’t wanna talk about. He (Rahul Dravid) and Sachin (Tendulkar) were smoking us to all parts.I overstepped the mark a little bit, but I’ve just got nothing but massive respect for Rahul. I would love to sit with Rahul and go out for dinner and say sorry again about what happened back then.”

He continued:

“I just had to do something silly that brought his wicket actually. But I still apologize for what I said back then. What a great guy, what a great bloke! So, Rahul, if you are listening, I would love to have a night out with you.”

Rahul Dravid, meanwhile, accepted Donald’s apology and his dinner invitation. He said:

“Absolutely. Yeah. I look forward to it. And especially if he is paying.”

It's worth mentioning that Allan Donald has represented South Africa in 72 Tests and 164 ODIs, picking up 330 and 272 wickets, respectively.