When Rahul Dravid takes the field at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore on Saturday in the second One-Day International against South Africa, it will be an emotional and testing moment for him.
Emotional because the venue is his home ground, where he probably spent more time than at home, as he puts it, and it is his first international match as captain. Testing because a century at the venue has eluded him in both Tests and ODIs.
"It's great to play in Bangalore as captain," he said on Thursday. "I have been coming here (Chinnaswamy stadium) when I was a 13-14 year-old boy. I probably spent more time in the stadium than in my home.
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On the other hand, it is a happy hunting ground for the tourists. It was at the venue in 2000 that Hansie Cronje's Proteas crushed the home team by an innings and 71 runs to wrap the Test series 2-0.
The visitors are high on confidence this time around as well. The victory at Hyderabad in the first one-dayer has added to their momentum, coming as it does after drubbing New Zealand 4-0 in the one-day series back home.
On a 20-match unbeaten streak, the South Africans are now looking for one more win on Saturday to level the world record of 21 on the trot by Australians.
