Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid: The Last Time

The Champions League Twenty20 2013 final was also about Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid playing each other for the last time in recognised cricket.

Apart from the domestic circuit, franchise-based cricket is the only format that pits them against each other and after Sunday (October 6), even that won't happen again. Tendulkar has already confirmed that he won't play the Indian Premier League next year and Dravid, while he hasn't said so in as many words, has often hinted that this is it.

Interestingly, as Dravid pointed out during a pre-match interview with Ravi Shastri for the host broadcasters, he hasn't really played against Tendulkar much. "I don't think we have played against each other too much and all our contests have been in coloured clothing, surprisingly, despite playing for so many years," said Dravid.

Tendulkar added that it was a "rare moment" in many ways, despite the two having been around for so long. "The first time I saw Rahul was way back in 1993-94 or so, and since then we have been in whites and in colour, playing for the same team," he said. "We have had the opportunity to play each other in coloured clothing in the IPL. But we haven't had a chance to play against each other in whites - that would have been something special."

The two did, in fact, play against each other in the Irani Trophy as recently as September 2003, but have clearly forgotten. Dravid has enough reason to remember that match though as he ended up on the winning side - Rest of India - against Mumbai, who were led by Tendulkar. Both performed well with the bat on that occasion, Dravid scoring 41 and 121, while Tendulkar hit 94 and 50.

By the time Dravid made his first-class debut, in 1990-91, Tendulkar was already in the Indian team. And Dravid was quick to remember that when asked about being colleagues in the Indian team for so many years.

"He is slightly younger than me but he is so much my senior as a cricketer," pointed out Dravid. "In my third Test match, Sachin was captain of India. He was someone you looked up to in a sense as a cricketer because growing up, you saw this young kid do amazing things around the world.

"It was an inspiration for all of us playing first-class cricket that if this guy can do it, maybe we can do it. Growing up and to be on that England tour in 1996, sharing a dressing room with him, it was a huge thrill."

Tendulkar was equally quick in praising Dravid. "Any day in my team he would be No. 3," he said. "There are so many innings when he has batted brilliantly. When most of the guys found it difficult and he was comfortable. He loved challenges and when the situation demanded, you could bank on Rahul."

Together, they played for India for a decade and a half - the last time they were in an Indian team together was during the Adelaide Test in January 2012. That's many, many days of being mates, sharing more time than the closest of spouses manage, and doing amazing things, individually and in tandem.

Indeed, much of the build up to the final was also about the Tendulkar vs Dravid subplot. That was the case with the inaugural match of the main draw of the CLT20 as well, when back on September 21, Mumbai took on Rajasthan in Jaipur. Dravid's team beat Tendulkar's on that occasion.

That didn't, however, stop hundreds of youngsters turning out in the blue of either Mumbai or Rajasthan in neutral New Delhi, and much of the excitement was about watching Tendulkar, obviously the bigger hero, one last time in Mumbai's colours. (Mumbai vs Rajasthan, as it happened)

Shouts of 'Sachin, Sachin' had started well before people had entered the stadium and continued unabated once they were inside. The only time there was a lull was when, before Rajasthan came out to field, their players lined up to give Dravid a guard of honour. For a brief while, the chant turned to 'Rahul, Rahul', but only for a brief while, because Tendulkar stepped out to bat soon enough. Three exquisite boundaries only increased the fans' appetite till, in the fifth over, Shane Watson sent Tendulkar's off stump cartwheeling. (Dravid thanks players, supporters for warm farewell)

The crowd had gone silent and Tendulkar walked back looking more than a little emotional, slowing down midway to raise his bat and acknowledge the cheers, and then walking back to the dugout through the guard of honour prepared by his teammates. For Dravid though, the time for niceties was long over. He still had work to do and even as the giant screens at the ground had Tendulkar's face splashed on them, Dravid was in the middle, doing his high fives and chalking out the next plan of action.