[Watch] Matthew Hayden messes up KL Rahul with Rahul Dravid on live show ahead of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden made a glaring error by referring to KL Rahul as Rahul Dravid during a discussion with the legendary Sunil Gavaskar after the second Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test in Adelaide. The incident happened when the two former batters were discussing Indian skipper Rohit Sharma's potential return to the top for the third Test in Brisbane.
For the uninitiated, Rohit batted at No. 6 in the Adelaide outing to maintain continuity at the top with KL Rahul and Yashasvi Jaiswal, thanks to their match-winning 201-run partnership in the opening Test.
While Gavaskar called for Rohit's return to opening, Hayden insisted India stick with Rahul at the top.
However, the former Aussie had a slip of the tongue and said Rahul Dravid instead of KL Rahul.
"I'll be slightly more stubborn. I will not be changing at this stage. I know you would like a better outcome inside the top three. But from what I saw in Perth, technically, Rahul Dravid is right there. He just needs to do it for a longer," said Hayden.
Gavaskar sarcastically responded to Hayden by saying:
"I would love it if it was Rahul Dravid, as you said, but it is KL Rahul."
To which Hayden mentioned how he was still living the nightmare of Dravid's heroics in the 2003-04 Australian tour.
"Sorry, KL Rahul. My apologies. I was thinking of when he dominated here in Adelaide and got us smashed in 2003/04 series. That's a nightmare I'm stull living," he said.
Here is a video of the hilarious exchange where Hayden inadvertently called KL Rahul 'Rahul Dravid' [0:34].
Despite Rohit's move to No. 6 on his return to the side in the Adelaide Test, Team India struggled with the bat in both innings, registering scores of 180 and 175, respectively.
While Rohit scored a combined 9 runs across the two innings, Rahul managed 37 and 7 as an opener in both innings. As a result, India suffered a massive ten-wicket defeat to leave the five-Test series level at 1-1.
Why Matthew Hayden is still terrorized by Rahul Dravid from 2003-04
Matthew Hayden has good reason to remember Rahul Dravid's exploits during the 2003-04 Border Gavaskar Trophy. The former Indian No. 3 defied the famed Aussie attack in the four-match series as very few visiting batters have done since the turn of the 21st century.
Dravid was India's leading run-scorer in the series and second overall behind Ricky Ponting with 619 runs at an average of 123.80, including a century and three half-centuries.
His signature moment of the tour came when he led India to a famous four-wicket win in Adelaide, scoring 233 and 72*. Dravid's heroics helped India finish on level terms with Australia in Australia at 1-1.