Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

[Mamoon]

You play Rahul and Babar in the same team, and Rahul will come across as the superior batsman.

That for me is the ultimate test when it comes to comparing two batsmen. This is the same reason why I consider Yousuf to be a better batsman than Younis.

People bang about Younis’ superior Test record and all that, but when the two played in the same team from 2000 to around 2007, Yousuf proved himself to be the superior batsmen on most occasions.

All this back and forth bickering over the challenges and difficulties that Babar faces while playing for Pakistan, and the advantage that Rahul has while playing for India etc. is ultimately pointless.

Firstly, the same people who talk about Babar suffering because of playing for a weak side are the same people who then drum about how Pakistan is the real number 1 T20 side in the world, and in spite of that, Rahul has proved himself to be a superior T20 player.

Secondly, there are both pros and cons when it comes to playing for Pakistan or India.

While it is true that Babar doesn’t have the luxury to play with elite batsmen and there is far more pressure on him to perform, it is also true that playing for a weak team allowed him to establish himself in the top-order very quickly and there is no pressure on him to sustain his place in the side.

Babar can fail for a year and he will not be dropped because there is no serious competition, but Rahul cannot afford to fail for more than 4-5 games because he will find himself on the sidelines again.

If Rahul is out of form he will be replaced by a host of incredible young batsmen like Shaw, Gill, Jaiswal etc., but if Babar is out of form, his competition will be some mediocre hack who will not be international material to begin with.

Getting into the Indian side as a batsman and maintaining your place is a completely different challenge altogether. I will give Karun Nair’s example.

He scored a triple-hundred against England in his very second Test, and after 3-4 failures, he is now out of the side and may never play a Test again.

If a Pakistani batsman scores a triple hundred against England in his second Test, he will milk it for the rest of his career and people will hype him to the moon and he will end up playing for years.

Give Karun Nair the same number of Tests as Azhar and Shafiq, and he will produce better numbers.

Rohit averaged the same or slightly more as Shafiq in Tests when he batted in the middle-order, but has heavily criticized for his output and never managed to nail his position before he started opening.

The likes of Azhar and shafiq wouldn’t have played more than 20 Tests if they were in India, thanks to the competition and the higher standards.

Dhawan cannot nail down a position in the Test side in spite of averaging 40+ as an opener.

If Babar was in India, he wouldn’t even be batting in the top 3 in ODIs, which means his hundreds tally would have been far lower, and I highly doubt if he would have made his Test debut by now.

He would barely make it to the full-strength T20I team because India would want more explosive player at 4 or 5.

Similarly, Rahul would be our first-choice opener in all formats with plenty of hundreds by now.

In short, as I said, there are both pros and cons to playing for a weak team and playing for a strong team.

There are several batsmen in India who have been quickly dropped or cannot break into the team yet, but they would be superstars in Pakistan and get massive hype.

 

[KingKhan12]

Both have still started only and seems to have established their place in the team except Rahul in tests.

Honestly, no point discussing same argument again and again. Let the two play cricket for atleast 100 ODI and 50 tests and then it would make more sense to discuss.

Well said. Let them play a big amount of games then talk and see comparison.
At the moment every time Rahul makes runs thread getting bumped.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Just saw his batting videos. Don't think Babar can compete with him, Rahul is superior in all aspects.

Babar will score more soft runs where as he is impactful and destructive. Babar is brilliant by our standards though. Beggars cant be choosers.

I believe Babbar will be far more consistent and tbh pakistan needs a batsman like that.

Rahul can be more aggressive as batsmen around him are more consistent.

 

[KingKhan12]

You play Rahul and Babar in the same team, and Rahul will come across as the superior batsman.

That for me is the ultimate test when it comes to comparing two batsmen. This is the same reason why I consider Yousuf to be a better batsman than Younis.

People bang about Younis’ superior Test record and all that, but when the two played in the same team from 2000 to around 2007, Yousuf proved himself to be the superior batsmen on most occasions.

All this back and forth bickering over the challenges and difficulties that Babar faces while playing for Pakistan, and the advantage that Rahul has while playing for India etc. is ultimately pointless.

Firstly, the same people who talk about Babar suffering because of playing for a weak side are the same people who then drum about how Pakistan is the real number 1 T20 side in the world, and in spite of that, Rahul has proved himself to be a superior T20 player.

Secondly, there are both pros and cons when it comes to playing for Pakistan or India.

While it is true that Babar doesn’t have the luxury to play with elite batsmen and there is far more pressure on him to perform, it is also true that playing for a weak team allowed him to establish himself in the top-order very quickly and there is no pressure on him to sustain his place in the side.

Babar can fail for a year and he will not be dropped because there is no serious competition, but Rahul cannot afford to fail for more than 4-5 games because he will find himself on the sidelines again.

If Rahul is out of form he will be replaced by a host of incredible young batsmen like Shaw, Gill, Jaiswal etc., but if Babar is out of form, his competition will be some mediocre hack who will not be international material to begin with.

Getting into the Indian side as a batsman and maintaining your place is a completely different challenge altogether. I will give Karun Nair’s example.

He scored a triple-hundred against England in his very second Test, and after 3-4 failures, he is now out of the side and may never play a Test again.

If a Pakistani batsman scores a triple hundred against England in his second Test, he will milk it for the rest of his career and people will hype him to the moon and he will end up playing for years.

Give Karun Nair the same number of Tests as Azhar and Shafiq, and he will produce better numbers.

Rohit averaged the same or slightly more as Shafiq in Tests when he batted in the middle-order, but has heavily criticized for his output and never managed to nail his position before he started opening.

The likes of Azhar and shafiq wouldn’t have played more than 20 Tests if they were in India, thanks to the competition and the higher standards.

Dhawan cannot nail down a position in the Test side in spite of averaging 40+ as an opener.

If Babar was in India, he wouldn’t even be batting in the top 3 in ODIs, which means his hundreds tally would have been far lower, and I highly doubt if he would have made his Test debut by now.

He would barely make it to the full-strength T20I team because India would want more explosive player at 4 or 5.

Similarly, Rahul would be our first-choice opener in all formats with plenty of hundreds by now.

In short, as I said, there are both pros and cons to playing for a weak team and playing for a strong team.

There are several batsmen in India who have been quickly dropped or cannot break into the team yet, but they would be superstars in Pakistan and get massive hype.

Stupid and biased logic to back your own views.

How can you say Rahul would be superior when he has declined in tests while Babar has improved.
Regarding Yousuf vs Younis and trying to make it like Rahul is Yousuf and Babar is Younis is a weird analysis by you. Yes Yousuf was a better batsmen that's why he had a good ODI career too then Younis. Babar has made runs in all 3 formats and is doing good in all 3. While Rahul is struggling to make it to Indian test team. Just got a regular place in ODI team now.

Bring Shafiq and Azhar Ali into the post and comparing to Rahul don't make sense.

And how can you guarantee Rahul would had plenty of hundreds if he a Pakistani. As he's dynamic our think board would used him down the order most likely as that's what they do. And in Tests because he's dynamic he probably wouldn't get into team. Our management likes tuk tuk players lol.

 

[Titan24]

Kl Rahul’s test average is less than Sarfaraz Ahmed (Specialist WK), Ahmed Shehzad and Umer Akmal which are not even in the Pak test squad. This info is for those who think Babar wont make Indian test team despite being a top 10 ranked batsman while Rahul will somehow make it to Pak test team.

 

[cricketjoshila]

Kl Rahul’s test average is less than Sarfaraz Ahmed (Specialist WK), Ahmed Shehzad and Umer Akmal which are not even in the Pak test squad. This info is for those who think Babar wont make Indian test team despite being a top 10 ranked batsman while Rahul will somehow make it to Pak test team.

Babbar avgs less than Mayank Rohit Pujara Kohli Rahane and Pant.

He has less centuries in SENA countries than Pant.

He will not find a place in the Indian team.

 

[docteurmanish]

Stupid and biased logic to back your own views.

How can you say Rahul would be superior when he has declined in tests while Babar has improved.
Regarding Yousuf vs Younis and trying to make it like Rahul is Yousuf and Babar is Younis is a weird analysis by you. Yes Yousuf was a better batsmen that's why he had a good ODI career too then Younis. Babar has made runs in all 3 formats and is doing good in all 3. While Rahul is struggling to make it to Indian test team. Just got a regular place in ODI team now.

Bring Shafiq and Azhar Ali into the post and comparing to Rahul don't make sense.

And how can you guarantee Rahul would had plenty of hundreds if he a Pakistani. As he's dynamic our think board would used him down the order most likely as that's what they do. And in Tests because he's dynamic he probably wouldn't get into team. Our management likes tuk tuk players lol.

Ur question no 1

How is rahul superior in tests .

I recommend u watch his innings against Australia in dharramshala . It’s the best test innings by an india opener not called sehwag last 10 years .

Rahul is struggling to keep his place in indian team as he has to compete with

Rohit
Shaw
Agarwal
Kohli
Dhawan

Add gill jaiswal and now sarfaraaz khan besides people like vihari rahane Panchal and you realize how insane the competition is

I won’t even mention pant Samson Bharat Ishan kissan ... Saha

 

[Titan24]

Babbar avgs less than Mayank Rohit Pujara Kohli Rahane and Pant.

He has less centuries in SENA countries than Pant.

He will not find a place in the Indian team.

Let Babar play 14 home in tests Pak like Rahul and countless like some others that you have mentioned at real home where he has 2 centuries and not outs in 2 matches he has played.

 

[Titan24]

Again numbers dont lie. When Rahul becomes he is hyped to be I doubt his fans would need another 40 pages in thread to prove how his game one shot or couple pf innings are the best things since sliced bread.

 

[KingKhan12]

Ur question no 1

How is rahul superior in tests .

I recommend u watch his innings against Australia in dharramshala . It’s the best test innings by an india opener not called sehwag last 10 years .

Rahul is struggling to keep his place in indian team as he has to compete with

Rohit
Shaw
Agarwal
Kohli
Dhawan

Add gill jaiswal and now sarfaraaz khan besides people like vihari rahane Panchal and you realize how insane the competition is

I won’t even mention pant Samson Bharat Ishan kissan ... Saha

I recommend u watch Umar Akmal innings on his test debut vs New Zealand in New Zealand. And look where he is now. Being dynamic and having some good innings in some tests don't mean much. All about being consistent and making runs consistently around the World.

 

[tyron_woodley]

I was a big Rahul critic in the past. No more. He has proven me wrong. I certainly rate him as a top 5 player in t20.

in odi perhaps top 10 ish if he plays in the middle order. For now. He has serious potential.

test matches - babar. period. Not even worth comparing here.

overall babar is better because he is the superior test player.
Rahul can match babar in odi if he reaches his peak capacity, provided he bats in the middle order.

Remember dhawan and rohit won't be around for much longer. 3 years max I would say.

 

[Ab Fan]

I was a big Rahul critic in the past. No more. He has proven me wrong. I certainly rate him as a top 5 player in t20.

in odi perhaps top 10 ish if he plays in the middle order. For now. He has serious potential.

test matches - babar. period. Not even worth comparing here.

overall babar is better because he is the superior test player.
Rahul can match babar in odi if he reaches his peak capacity, provided he bats in the middle order.

Remember dhawan and rohit won't be around for much longer. 3 years max I would say.

Dhawan and Rohit's backups are ready. We have a number of players who are good enough to open the inning for India. The scarcity is at 5 and 6.

 

[Pakhs]

You play Rahul and Babar in the same team, and Rahul will come across as the superior batsman.

That for me is the ultimate test when it comes to comparing two batsmen. This is the same reason why I consider Yousuf to be a better batsman than Younis.

People bang about Younis’ superior Test record and all that, but when the two played in the same team from 2000 to around 2007, Yousuf proved himself to be the superior batsmen on most occasions.

All this back and forth bickering over the challenges and difficulties that Babar faces while playing for Pakistan, and the advantage that Rahul has while playing for India etc. is ultimately pointless.

Firstly, the same people who talk about Babar suffering because of playing for a weak side are the same people who then drum about how Pakistan is the real number 1 T20 side in the world, and in spite of that, Rahul has proved himself to be a superior T20 player.

Secondly, there are both pros and cons when it comes to playing for Pakistan or India.

While it is true that Babar doesn’t have the luxury to play with elite batsmen and there is far more pressure on him to perform, it is also true that playing for a weak team allowed him to establish himself in the top-order very quickly and there is no pressure on him to sustain his place in the side.

Babar can fail for a year and he will not be dropped because there is no serious competition, but Rahul cannot afford to fail for more than 4-5 games because he will find himself on the sidelines again.

If Rahul is out of form he will be replaced by a host of incredible young batsmen like Shaw, Gill, Jaiswal etc., but if Babar is out of form, his competition will be some mediocre hack who will not be international material to begin with.

Getting into the Indian side as a batsman and maintaining your place is a completely different challenge altogether. I will give Karun Nair’s example.

He scored a triple-hundred against England in his very second Test, and after 3-4 failures, he is now out of the side and may never play a Test again.

If a Pakistani batsman scores a triple hundred against England in his second Test, he will milk it for the rest of his career and people will hype him to the moon and he will end up playing for years.

Give Karun Nair the same number of Tests as Azhar and Shafiq, and he will produce better numbers.

Rohit averaged the same or slightly more as Shafiq in Tests when he batted in the middle-order, but has heavily criticized for his output and never managed to nail his position before he started opening.

The likes of Azhar and shafiq wouldn’t have played more than 20 Tests if they were in India, thanks to the competition and the higher standards.

Dhawan cannot nail down a position in the Test side in spite of averaging 40+ as an opener.

If Babar was in India, he wouldn’t even be batting in the top 3 in ODIs, which means his hundreds tally would have been far lower, and I highly doubt if he would have made his Test debut by now.

He would barely make it to the full-strength T20I team because India would want more explosive player at 4 or 5.

Similarly, Rahul would be our first-choice opener in all formats with plenty of hundreds by now.

In short, as I said, there are both pros and cons to playing for a weak team and playing for a strong team.

There are several batsmen in India who have been quickly dropped or cannot break into the team yet, but they would be superstars in Pakistan and get massive hype.

HAHA your are full of ifs and buts.. which has no value in real life.

 

[Mamoon]

HAHA your are full of ifs and buts.. which has no value in real life.

As I told you the other day, you can call it ifs and buts, but it is much, much harder to establish yourself in the Indian team as a batsman compared to the Pakistani team.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Remember dhawan and rohit won't be around for much longer. 3 years max I would say.

There is no saying what will happen in 3 years. Whether Rahul will still be in the national scheme of things or some new player will emerge by then and cement his place in the team.

Rahul will have to perform consistently for at least a year to keep his place in the team. The moment he loses form, Kohli will drop him like a bad habit and move on to his next shiny little toy. Babar's place in the Pakistan team is set for at least 4-5 years even if he goes through bad form.

 

[Ab Fan]

There's no saying what will happen of Rahul in T20Is once Dhawan returns. Kohli prefers Dhawan to open with Rohit Sharma in both LOI formats so Rahul might have to move back down. As for ODIs, Kohli and the team management seems to have come up with an excuse to play Rahul by batting him at 5, but they've tried and given up on so many players recently (Rayudu, Karthik, Shankar, Pant etc.) that there's no saying if Rahul will get a consistent run at No. 5 or that he'll even be in the ODI scheme of things a year from now. If he is and he can keep performing consistently, it would be great.

Not really in T20s. Dhawan is not a great T20 player but in ODI cricket, there is no way one can drop Dhawan as long as he doesn't show any signs of bad form.

In T20s, Rahul has pretty much sealed the top order spot and I don't see Dhawan getting back to opening spot. And in ODIs, Rahul has sealed his spot in middle order because he seems to be the only guy to solve India's middle order woes apart from Shreyas Iyer.

 

[Waleed93]

It has been a while since Babar played his last ODI innings. He still remains the better batsman overall compared to Rahul for me, as he has been consistent for quite some time now and has proved to be one of the best around in the 2019 WC.

Rahul on the other hand is just starting to get on his own, this series against NZ can be his career defining series as he has finally managed to score consistently. His talent was never a doubt, and I have always said that he is superior to Babar in terms of natural ability. He has that six-hitting ability that only Rohit can match on his best days which means that the day he comes off, he will single handedly win the game for India.

Babar is mentally more tough, as one needs to be mentally strong to score runs in every conditions on a consistent basis while being surrounded by rubbish batsmen. Rahul, keeping in mind his superior talent, should have been in his peak years by now, and as he is almost going to turn 28, this year should ideally be the year where he will have to dominate if he wants to cement his place as one of the best batsmen going around.

Babar is not only 2.5 years younger than him, he has also achieved more than him and is yet to enter his peak period in a few years time. Before celebrating his 25th birthday, he had already cemented his place as the best batsman of the next generation with a prolific WC campaign, and his individual performance in the upcoming WT20 will be the backbone of Pakistan's hopes.

Yes, Rahul has improved quite well recently, and he can score runs the way Babar can, and do it in a more destructive manner. However, the one who has been the most consistent, the mentally stronger, the most prolific, the big stage player, and the one who has achieved more SO FAR despite being younger is Babar, and at the moment, he remains the better overall batsman.

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

In T20s, Rahul has pretty much sealed the top order spot and I don't see Dhawan getting back to opening spot.

It'd be great if that was the case but Kohli will want to bring Dhawan back into the T20I team somehow and it most likely won't be as a non-opener.

As for ODIs, I don't think he's "sealed his spot" just yet. Rayudu seemed to be a fix in the World Cup squad but they dropped him altogether after one bad series. Pant seemed to have "sealed his spot" in the Test team after his century in England and Australia and yet they dropped him for Saha in India. He had a good ODI series against West Indies and was dropped.

Rahul will need to perform consistently for at least a year before he can find himself in the good graces of Kohli and the team management to the point that he can consider his spot in the team sealed. One or two bad series and they'll already be looking for replacements.

 

[jnaveen1980]

It'd be great if that was the case but Kohli will want to bring Dhawan back into the T20I team somehow and it most likely won't be as a non-opener.

As for ODIs, I don't think he's "sealed his spot" just yet. Rayudu seemed to be a fix in the World Cup squad but they dropped him altogether after one bad series. Pant seemed to have "sealed his spot" in the Test team after his century in England and Australia and yet they dropped him for Saha in India. He had a good ODI series against West Indies and was dropped.

Rahul will need to perform consistently for at least a year before he can find himself in the good graces of Kohli and the team management to the point that he can consider his spot in the team sealed. One or two bad series and they'll already be looking for replacements.

As long as KL Rahul is the keeper he has sealed his spot. Let us see how long this experiment lasts. Right now KL Rahul's runs are bonus as he is the keeper.

 

[Frontrunner]

It is fun seeing pak poster getting riled up.. with rahul rise as compared to their numero uno batsman babar...

They themselves know this truth deep down in their heart that their number one batsmen is behind india's no three batsmen rahul.. that's wht stems their desperation mirred with ignorance...

Rahul has that x factor which babar lacks.. rahul has that extra gear.. the ease with which he hits sixes.. babar can only dream of... Only thing missing was rahul's consistency.. now with rahul getting consistent ... Babar fans are left at clutching straws...

Babar is grafter ... He can make soft runs.. but he won't win a match on his own chasing 320+ target.. because he lacks power game.. he needs someone around him to bat at gear above him.. even in world cup encounter against india..when babar & zaman stitched a partnership.. i was more worried about getting fakhar's wicket.. because he could hv changed the complexion of game in a ziffy.. which babar can't do.. so as soon as zaman got out.. babar also perished...

He has yet to play a freak like innings chasing.. a la wht kohli did early in his career (183 against pak & 133 against srilanka in hobart)... Lol babar can't match kohli's power game.. leave alone matching rohit's & rahul's power game..

If babar has to match rahul in loi cricket...he needs to improve his power game.. which i think is not possible.. because he just don't have it him...

 

[Khan12]

It is fun seeing pak poster getting riled up.. with rahul rise as compared to their numero uno batsman babar...

They themselves know this truth deep down in their heart that their number one batsmen is behind india's no three batsmen rahul.. that's wht stems their desperation mirred with ignorance...

Rahul has that x factor which babar lacks.. rahul has that extra gear.. the ease with which he hits sixes.. babar can only dream of... Only thing missing was rahul's consistency.. now with rahul getting consistent ... Babar fans are left at clutching straws...

Babar is grafter ... He can make soft runs.. but he won't win a match on his own chasing 320+ target.. because he lacks power game.. he needs someone around him to bat at gear above him.. even in world cup encounter against india..when babar & zaman stitched a partnership.. i was more worried about getting fakhar's wicket.. because he could hv changed the complexion of game in a ziffy.. which babar can't do.. so as soon as zaman got out.. babar also perished...

He has yet to play a freak like innings chasing.. a la wht kohli did early in his career (183 against pak & 133 against srilanka in hobart)... Lol babar can't match kohli's power game.. leave alone matching rohit's & rahul's power game..

If babar has to match rahul in loi cricket...he needs to improve his power game.. which i think is not possible.. because he just don't have it him...

Didn't India end Fakhar's career??

 

[Titan24]

It is fun seeing pak poster getting riled up.. with rahul rise as compared to their numero uno batsman babar...

They themselves know this truth deep down in their heart that their number one batsmen is behind india's no three batsmen rahul.. that's wht stems their desperation mirred with ignorance...

Rahul has that x factor which babar lacks.. rahul has that extra gear.. the ease with which he hits sixes.. babar can only dream of... Only thing missing was rahul's consistency.. now with rahul getting consistent ... Babar fans are left at clutching straws...

Babar is grafter ... He can make soft runs.. but he won't win a match on his own chasing 320+ target.. because he lacks power game.. he needs someone around him to bat at gear above him.. even in world cup encounter against india..when babar & zaman stitched a partnership.. i was more worried about getting fakhar's wicket.. because he could hv changed the complexion of game in a ziffy.. which babar can't do.. so as soon as zaman got out.. babar also perished...

He has yet to play a freak like innings chasing.. a la wht kohli did early in his career (183 against pak & 133 against srilanka in hobart)... Lol babar can't match kohli's power game.. leave alone matching rohit's & rahul's power game..

If babar has to match rahul in loi cricket...he needs to improve his power game.. which i think is not possible.. because he just don't have it him...

Smith and Williamson are grafters as well, next thing we will know some Rahul fans would tell us how he is far better than Williamson and Smith as well because of his power game in LOIs.

 

[Frontrunner]

Didn't India end Fakhar's career??

Indian team started that in Asia cup 2018.. where fakhar couldn't buy a run...same treatment was given to hassan ali in world cup...

 

[Ab Fan]

It has been a while since Babar played his last ODI innings. He still remains the better batsman overall compared to Rahul for me, as he has been consistent for quite some time now and has proved to be one of the best around in the 2019 WC.

Rahul on the other hand is just starting to get on his own, this series against NZ can be his career defining series as he has finally managed to score consistently. His talent was never a doubt, and I have always said that he is superior to Babar in terms of natural ability. He has that six-hitting ability that only Rohit can match on his best days which means that the day he comes off, he will single handedly win the game for India.

Babar is mentally more tough, as one needs to be mentally strong to score runs in every conditions on a consistent basis while being surrounded by rubbish batsmen. Rahul, keeping in mind his superior talent, should have been in his peak years by now, and as he is almost going to turn 28, this year should ideally be the year where he will have to dominate if he wants to cement his place as one of the best batsmen going around.

Babar is not only 2.5 years younger than him, he has also achieved more than him and is yet to enter his peak period in a few years time. Before celebrating his 25th birthday, he had already cemented his place as the best batsman of the next generation with a prolific WC campaign, and his individual performance in the upcoming WT20 will be the backbone of Pakistan's hopes.

Yes, Rahul has improved quite well recently, and he can score runs the way Babar can, and do it in a more destructive manner. However, the one who has been the most consistent, the mentally stronger, the most prolific, the big stage player, and the one who has achieved more SO FAR despite being younger is Babar, and at the moment, he remains the better overall batsman.

It'd be great if that was the case but Kohli will want to bring Dhawan back into the T20I team somehow and it most likely won't be as a non-opener.

As for ODIs, I don't think he's "sealed his spot" just yet. Rayudu seemed to be a fix in the World Cup squad but they dropped him altogether after one bad series. Pant seemed to have "sealed his spot" in the Test team after his century in England and Australia and yet they dropped him for Saha in India. He had a good ODI series against West Indies and was dropped.

Rahul will need to perform consistently for at least a year before he can find himself in the good graces of Kohli and the team management to the point that he can consider his spot in the team sealed. One or two bad series and they'll already be looking for replacements.

Dhawan can be dropped from T20 squad. He is a senior member but not someone who can't be dropped and if he gets dropped from T20, I don't think it will be unfair to him.

For ODIs, he will be persisted as opener. Rest upto Kohli as you already said.

 

[Waleed93]

Dhawan can be dropped from T20 squad. He is a senior member but not someone who can't be dropped and if he gets dropped from T20, I don't think it will be unfair to him.

For ODIs, he will be persisted as opener. Rest upto Kohli as you already said.

Did you tag me by mistake ? Because I never mentioned Dhawan in my post.

 

[RamLakhan]

I think the arguers forgot one important point in between! Babar does not have to deal with IPL... The pressure, the demand, the toil and challenge it puts up! IPL can lift the confidence of any player (like Bumrah, Pandya, Pant, etc, who came to limelight pretty quickly & get to the terms of modern day challenges) at the same time it can alter the style/technique of some players! So forget the argument whether Rahul plays for Pakistan or Babar plays for India... The important point is had Rahul not encountered IPL he would have not lost his test defense and he would have been a superior Test Bat (one of the very best like Rahul Dravid perhaps!) and probably would have had a chance in LOIs as well (or perhaps not! Because we never know whether he would have developed those dynamics & competed against Rohit/Dhawan! He would surely have not got chance in middle order once he became a test opener!)

And on the other hand if Babar played in IPL (which means born in India as people are saying here), then he would perhaps have went the Pujara/Rahane way and got isolated for Tests! I am not undermining Babar's talent and that Pakistan can never produce quality batsman! He might be a good batsman! But my guess is - he would have tightened his defense further and tried to become a very decent & good Test Player where there is less competition (or rather a different kind of competition which suits Babar! He would not have wasted trying to compete with T20 players) He would have eyed the "Test Opener" spot in Indian team which is vacant even now and developed his skills for that (Like Murali Vijay in the past! And a very huge upgrade over Murali Vijay! A very very better player than Rahane, Pujara, etc!)

But Rahul chose the other path, the glamorous path which gives more money & fame and altered his game accordingly... Which would mean that his talent is more vast & vibrant, while Babar's talent has more depth & strength! Both are good players and both are very valuable to their team! (Rahul played an important role in avoiding a test series defeat at home, besides his T20 heroics/records! That's why I say his talent is more vibrant - he can go to both the extremes, but not stable enough!)

And they both are different (that's why this thread is irrelevant! But this thread has given a very good platform to discuss on these two quality players, perhaps we would not have discussed this much if they had two separate dedicated threads!)

 

[TNAmarkFromIndia]

Dhawan can be dropped from T20 squad.

It's not a question of "can he". It's a question of "will he". Rahul already had a much superior T20I record to Dhawan before this series and Kohli publicly said that it's tough to choose between the two. He prefers Dhawan in LOIs.

 

[Ab Fan]

It has been a while since Babar played his last ODI innings. He still remains the better batsman overall compared to Rahul for me, as he has been consistent for quite some time now and has proved to be one of the best around in the 2019 WC.

Rahul on the other hand is just starting to get on his own, this series against NZ can be his career defining series as he has finally managed to score consistently. His talent was never a doubt, and I have always said that he is superior to Babar in terms of natural ability. He has that six-hitting ability that only Rohit can match on his best days which means that the day he comes off, he will single handedly win the game for India.

Babar is mentally more tough, as one needs to be mentally strong to score runs in every conditions on a consistent basis while being surrounded by rubbish batsmen. Rahul, keeping in mind his superior talent, should have been in his peak years by now, and as he is almost going to turn 28, this year should ideally be the year where he will have to dominate if he wants to cement his place as one of the best batsmen going around.

Babar is not only 2.5 years younger than him, he has also achieved more than him and is yet to enter his peak period in a few years time. Before celebrating his 25th birthday, he had already cemented his place as the best batsman of the next generation with a prolific WC campaign, and his individual performance in the upcoming WT20 will be the backbone of Pakistan's hopes.

Yes, Rahul has improved quite well recently, and he can score runs the way Babar can, and do it in a more destructive manner. However, the one who has been the most consistent, the mentally stronger, the most prolific, the big stage player, and the one who has achieved more SO FAR despite being younger is Babar, and at the moment, he remains the better overall batsman.

Did you tag me by mistake ? Because I never mentioned Dhawan in my post.

Yes. Apology. It was by mistake.

 

[AdamM97]

Rahul is a great batsman but this comparison is unfair to Babar.

Babar is a better cricketer, no doubt. Babar should be compared to the likes of Williamson, De Kock and Ross Taylor, not KL Rahul.

 

[Ab Fan]

It's not a question of "can he". It's a question of "will he". Rahul already had a much superior T20I record to Dhawan before this series and Kohli publicly said that it's tough to choose between the two. He prefers Dhawan in LOIs.

Yes, as I said it's upto Kohli. But on merit , Rahul should replace Dhawan in T20 comfortably now, not yet in ODIs though.

 

[Frontrunner]

Smith and Williamson are grafters as well, next thing we will know some Rahul fans would tell us how he is far better than Williamson and Smith as well because of his power game in LOIs.

The problem is in the pak team..how?

Williamson nd Smith both have various power hitter in their team.. where they can play around... Which babar in his team don't have... Nd also woryh mentioning Babar has the least ability of cleaning boundaries.. compared to Williamson nd smith.. because he just doesn't have it in him...

Now pak team is struggling to find a power hitter in their team for loi cricket.. that's why mediocre players like asif ali was thus hyped up nd played significant no of games..only to be discarded.. nd left in cold..corner..

This was evident from drubbing by sri lanka b team to pak t20 team at their home.. stark difference was ability to hit sixes.. where pak batsmen couldn't clear boundaries on regular basis.. even in Australia t20 series.. pak batsmen couldn't clear boundaries when required.. resulting in another drubbing...

Rizwan nd other new players were tried in Australia series.. but they also lacked the power game... That's why pakistan team went back to their tried nd tested senior players.. Md hafeez nd Shoaib Malik.. if pak team had found their six hitter.. they wouldn't be forced to pick seniors pros again...

That's why babar in pak team.. won't find him.. chasing 320+ target on his own.. even if he makes soft run.. he lacks the ability to finish at a rapid rate at the fag end of the game...

Now hunt is on for next power hitter in pak team.. that's why we witnessed proven failure like umar akmal nd shehzad given a go again...

 

[Titan24]

Nd also woryh mentioning Babar has the least ability of cleaning boundaries.. compared to Williamson nd smith.. because he just doesn't have it in him...

So lets look at some facts and stats in ODIs as in T20s there isnt much comparison with Williamson and Smith as their power game is mostly non existent there at international level:

ODIs

Babar Azam

4s per match: 3.905
6s per match: 0.41
Sr: 87

Kan Williamson

4s per match: 3.75
6s per match: 0.32
Sr: 81

Steve Smith

4s per match: 2.85
6s per match: 0.28
Sr: 86

So this clearly manifests who has better boundary hitting ability.

Now I would love to have some stats from others and you. 40 pages of different theories are completely useless.

Show some stats to prove Rahul is better LOI player than Babar and if he how is he not better than Smith and Williamson according to the criteria some have been using.

 

[Frontrunner]

So lets look at some facts and stats in ODIs as in T20s there isnt much comparison with Williamson and Smith as their power game is mostly non existent there at international level:

ODIs

Babar Azam

4s per match: 3.905
6s per match: 0.41
Sr: 87

Kan Williamson

4s per match: 3.75
6s per match: 0.32
Sr: 81

Steve Smith

4s per match: 2.85
6s per match: 0.28
Sr: 86

So this clearly manifests who has better boundary hitting ability.

Now I would love to have some stats from others and you. 40 pages of different theories are completely useless.

Show some stats to prove Rahul is better LOI player than Babar and if he how is he not better than Smith and Williamson according to the criteria some have been using.

Babar's power game is deplorable to all with whom u compared him... Even tho rest have luxury of various power hitter in their respective team... Root, williamson, smith can play around anchor innings in their team around power hitters... Unfortunately babar doesn't has this luxury... Nd to make thing worse ... Even ur new players a la rizwan et al.. lacks power hitting... That's why mediocre players like Asif Ali was given a long run in loi cricket.. same way.. umar akmal nd shehzad were recalled again to provide a credible six hitting option...

That's why malik nd hafeez were recalled... As there was no alternative available..
After afridi.. pak is struggling to find a power hitter or a batsman with extra gear in middle/lower middle order...

Thus babar will find himself in team where he could play anchor innings for long.. but no-one with a capability to went berserk when required at fag end of the game..

 

[Titan24]

Babar's power game is deplorable to all with whom u compared him....

So you have opted to ignore that stats which clearly prove who has better power game? Again I ask for where are the facts and stats to prove what you are saying? As in the above post I have clearly proved other wise. Babar has better SR and hits more 4s and 6s per game so how do Williamson and Smith have a better power game? Kindly bring some facts and number onto the table.

What you are providing are theories like many have been posting, opinions can vary but numbers dont lie.

Regarding Pak lacking power hitters, to that I agree but that is not Babar's fault.

 

[Frontrunner]

So you have opted to ignore that stats which clearly prove who has better power game? Again I ask for where are the facts and stats to prove what you are saying? As in the above post I have clearly proved other wise. Babar has better SR and hits more 4s and 6s per game so how do Williamson and Smith have a better power game? Kindly bring some facts and number onto the table.

What you are providing are theories like many have been posting, opinions can very but numbers dont lie.

Regarding Pak lacking power hitters, to that I agree but that is not Babar's fault.

Strike rate of 87 isn't any exceptional.. baber can hit flurry of boundaries.. but he don't possess power to hit sixes at a regular basis.. which rahul can do..nd again u r missing my moot point.. Smith, root, williamson all can afford to play around with a lower strike rate.. without taking undue risk.. because they have the luxury of various power hitter in their respective team...

Babar don't have this luxury.. that's why if pakistan somehow unearths a player like rahul .. who can do both of babar & rohit in the same inning.. most problem of pak loi team would be solved...

Lack of power hitter in pak team lead to general public of pakistan lauding Afridi to a legend status.. evn tho all his years he played with a mediocre avg of 23.. then wht led him to earn a legend status? His ability to change game in a over or two... The time he remained in crease.. opposition couldn't afford breathe easy....

This is the extra gear which babar lacks.. that's why even after scoring good load of runs.. his impact won't be anywhere near ...
He don't have capability to finish the game on his own.. chasing a 320+ target.. which are norms these days considering all odi matches are now played in roads all over the world..

Rahul like player is what pakistan desperately needs now... A clutch player who can do both of babar nd rohit... Harris was tried.. he failed due to his deplorable technique against short pitch bowling.. sarfaraz is gone now... His replacement rizwan.. also lacks power hitting.. evident from his shabby innings against Australia..

 

[Balthazar]

In LOIs, Babar cannot play in place of Rahul for Indian team while Rahul can replace Babar in Pakistan team.

As for Tests go, I don't think Rahul is even interested in the format. So Babar is only ahead in Test cricket.

 

[Frontrunner]

In LOIs, Babar cannot play in place of Rahul for Indian team while Rahul can replace Babar in Pakistan team.

As for Tests go, I don't think Rahul is even interested in the format. So Babar is only ahead in Test cricket.

I concur.. if rahul continues to do what he is doing now.. in LOI cricket.. it would suffice.. no need to shove him again in test cricket.. for test cricket india have plenty of options in domestic circuit.. pujara/rahane like test specialist will solve the purpose in test cricket...

No need to mix formats.. rahul can be made purely into a LOI specialist.. considering his range of strokes... a la rohit.. who is goat level in loi cricket even after playing under shadow of kohli...

That's why im not buying the decision of opening with Rohit in test cricket... For test cricket india can try various top scorers from domestic cricket.. who are technically correct... shaw, gill, panchal et al are there who can open in test cricket..

 

[Titan24]

Strike rate of 87 isn't any exceptional.. baber can hit flurry of boundaries.. but he don't possess power to hit sixes at a regular basis.. which rahul can do..nd again u r missing my moot point.. Smith, root, williamson all can afford to play around with a lower strike rate.. without taking undue risk.. because they have the luxury of various power hitter in their respective team...

Babar don't have this luxury.. that's why if pakistan somehow unearths a player like rahul .. who can do both of babar & rohit in the same inning.. most problem of pak loi team would be solved...

Lack of power hitter in pak team lead to general public of pakistan lauding Afridi to a legend status.. evn tho all his years he played with a mediocre avg of 23.. then wht led him to earn a legend status? His ability to change game in a over or two... The time he remained in crease.. opposition couldn't afford breathe easy....

This is the extra gear which babar lacks.. that's why even after scoring good load of runs.. his impact won't be anywhere near ...
He don't have capability to finish the game on his own.. chasing a 320+ target.. which are norms these days considering all odi matches are now played in roads all over the world..

Rahul like player is what pakistan desperately needs now... A clutch player who can do both of babar nd rohit... Harris was tried.. he failed due to his deplorable technique against short pitch bowling.. sarfaraz is gone now... His replacement rizwan.. also lacks power hitting.. evident from his shabby innings against Australia..

Thread is about individual players and not teams. You said Williamson and Smith are much better hitter and stroke players than Babar twice on this page and I just asked you to prove that as I have with stats. I have showed Babar has better SR and hits more 4s and 6s per match than both Smith and Williamson.

 

[Titan24]

In LOIs, Babar cannot play in place of Rahul for Indian team while Rahul can replace Babar in Pakistan team.

As for Tests go, I don't think Rahul is even interested in the format. So Babar is only ahead in Test cricket.

By that logic why cant Rahul replace Smith and Williamson in their LOI teams?

 

[Frontrunner]

By that logic why cant Rahul replace Smith and Williamson in their LOI teams?

Because smith nd williamson.. has power power hitter among their respective team...
Smith, root, Williamson are indispensable as they hold the innings together.. playing an anchor role.. around them clutch players can play around....

Meanwhile kl rahul in this red hot form will walk straight into any team... specially pakistan.. which is currently desperate to find a clutch player in their middle/lower middle order... Not long ago pakistan had fahim ashraf nd shadab khan of all people as their finishers.. lol.. even asif guy was given a long rope.. on the basis of his power game...

In loi cricket rahul can do everything that babar can do.. however babar can't match what rahul can do.. batting as a floater.. in finishing innings when needed.. providing impetus at the fag end of the game..

Rahul can construct an inning by rotating Strike nd playing low risk shots & in the same inning he can run rampage.. going into six hitting mode when required...Which unfortunately babar can't replicate..

 

[Titan24]

In loi cricket rahul can do everything that babar can do.. however babar can't match what rahul can do.. batting as a floater.. in finishing innings when needed.. providing impetus at the fag end of the game..

Rahul can construct an inning by rotating Strike nd playing low risk shots & in the same inning he can run rampage.. going into six hitting mode when required...Which unfortunately babar can't replicate..

As I mentioned Smith and Williamson cant do that either if Babar cant as I have given the stats for everyone to see. So probably you guys are saying the KL Rahul is the ultimate middle order batsman and can replace anybody due to his all round 360 game play.

Bringing in teams is useless here when comparison is player vs player. Considering Babar hits more 4s and 6s per match with better SR shows he has more boundary hitting ability than Williamson and Smith (Yet to be proved otherwise by anyone). So based upon what you guys are saying regarding Rahul he is much superior than Williamson and Smith as well. Please dont bring in teams again as its player vs player, teams are not topic of discussion.

 

[Frontrunner]

As I mentioned Smith and Williamson cant do that either if Babar cant as I have given the stats for everyone to see. So probably you guys are saying the KL Rahul is the ultimate middle order batsman and can replace anybody due to his all round 360 game play.

Bringing in teams is useless here when comparison is player vs player. Considering Babar hits more 4s and 6s per match with better SR shows he has more boundary hitting ability than Williamson and Smith (Yet to be proved otherwise by anyone). So based upon what you guys are saying regarding Rahul he is much superior than Williamson and Smith as well. Please dont bring in teams again as its player vs player, teams are not topic of discussion.

Lol asking for not bringing up team is the sole reason of loosing the argument...babar can continue churning soft runs... He won't prove impactful for his team... after all it is the team which ultimately wins or loses at the end... He lacks extra gear which rahul has... He can't finish games on his own.. or provide impetus at fag end of the game..

Lol he is yet to play a freak innings chasing.. which kohli did against pakistan in year 2012.. hitting 183.. chasing a total of 330.. nd also his freakish show in hobart against sri Lanka..

Moreover.. he bottled against india in world cup chasing a target of 330+ when he was required to prove his worth.. even tho he scored 48 soft runs.. he fluffed big time... Same was seen in asia cup encounter as well where he again bottled against india when his team needed him most...

So indian team will be least wary of babars exploits.. going into future indo-pak encounter...as he has that trait of bottling in crunch situation.. nd he also lacks an extra gear to cause max damage to the opposition team...

So pak peeps can continue hyping up babar.. but deep down they already know.. where does babar stands after his true limitations...

To end .. Rahul can do a Babar.. but Babar can't do a Rahul...

 

[Titan24]

Lol asking for not bringing up team is the sole reason of loosing the argument...babar can continue churning soft runs... He won't prove impactful for his team... after all it is the team which ultimately wins or loses at the end... He lacks extra gear which rahul has... He can't finish games on his own.. or provide impetus at fag end of the game..

Lol he is yet to play a freak innings chasing.. which kohli did against pakistan in year 2012.. hitting 183.. chasing a total of 330.. nd also his freakish show in hobart against sri Lanka..

Moreover.. he bottled against india in world cup chasing a target of 330+ when he was required to prove his worth.. even tho he scored 48 soft runs.. he fluffed big time... Same was seen in asia cup encounter as well where he again bottled against india when his team needed him most...

So indian team will be least wary of babars exploits.. going into future indo-pak encounter...as he has that trait of bottling in crunch situation.. nd he also lacks an extra gear to cause max damage to the opposition team...

So pak peeps can continue hyping up babar.. but deep down they already know.. where does babar stands after his true limitations...

To end .. Rahul can do a Babar.. but Babar can't do a Rahul...

Never knew argument of Babar vs Rahul will be decided based upon teams. Weird logic.

Its pretty clear why you dont want to get rid of your team requirements theory because the kind of exclusive traits which many are mentioning of Rahul will raise arguments about that criteria and questions like why cant he be considered better than Smith and Williamson on that basis.

We all saw what Rahul could do in his WC heroics, his exploits were extraordinary. Unfortunately Babar only milked soft runs and fluked a win with century against NZ. Lol.

Some of Babar feats which Rahul wont be able to do in this life:

-> Fastest batsman to reach 2000 runs in ODI cricket (45 innings). He holds the record jointly with Zaheer Abbas and Kevin Pietersen.
-> Babar Azam is also the fastest Asian batsman to reach 3000 runs in ODI cricket (68 innings).
-> He also holds the record to score the most runs in the first 25 innings of his career (1306 runs).
-> Babar Azam is the only cricketer to score 5 consecutive centuries in a single country (United Arab Emirates).
-> Babar is the fastest batsman to score 7 ODI centuries (33 innings).
-> He is also the fastest batsman to reach 1000 runs in T20 Internationals (26 innings

So lets see Rahul do what Babar has done and we will talk further when Rahul is top 3 in two formats and top 10 on all 3.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Babar is the sole warrior of our team. Whenever he gets out, our team gets under pressure.

What's Rahul for India?
He's no Kohli, Dhawan or Rohit.
Him getting out doesn't decrease India's chances of winning by 80%

For Pakistan, Babar is our Kohli.
Babar has his individual pressure and the team's too.
Rahul doesn't.

India don't rely solely on Rahul. If Rahul gets out, Rohit, Dhawan and Kohli are there to steady the ship. If Babar gets out, no one's left for Pakistan.

Which idiot is trying to make this comparison?

 

[Balthazar]

By that logic why cant Rahul replace Smith and Williamson in their LOI teams?

He can in T20s. If you look at NZ team makeup in ODIs, Williamson is essential for them at #3 but Rahul can easily replace Guptil at the top.

As for Smith, its hard to understand what he brings to LOI teams. Sometimes he plays clutch innings and sometimes really struggles to up the runrate. He is the least talented when it comes to LOIs as for fab four is concerned.

 

[Balthazar]

I concur.. if rahul continues to do what he is doing now.. in LOI cricket.. it would suffice.. no need to shove him again in test cricket.. for test cricket india have plenty of options in domestic circuit.. pujara/rahane like test specialist will solve the purpose in test cricket...

No need to mix formats.. rahul can be made purely into a LOI specialist.. considering his range of strokes... a la rohit.. who is goat level in loi cricket even after playing under shadow of kohli...

That's why im not buying the decision of opening with Rohit in test cricket... For test cricket india can try various top scorers from domestic cricket.. who are technically correct... shaw, gill, panchal et al are there who can open in test cricket..

I think they may look at him as a backup wicketkeeper for Pant once Saha retires from Test cricket, unless he doesn't want to keep in Tests.

 

[Titan24]

He can in T20s. If you look at NZ team makeup in ODIs, Williamson is essential for them at #3 but Rahul can easily replace Guptil at the top.

As for Smith, its hard to understand what he brings to LOI teams. Sometimes he plays clutch innings and sometimes really struggles to up the runrate. He is the least talented when it comes to LOIs as for fab four is concerned.

There is no denying that Rahul has been exceptional in T20s and even T20 rankings reflect that.

 

[Sidilicious]

He had given his vote of confidence to Rayudu in the past and he was dropped right before the World Cup, so I don't think Kohli's vote of confidence means much.

Vote of confidence vs actually making someone a 3rd captain is different. Lets hope I am correct, and you're not, because Rahul is a hell of a talent to be pushed around the way he has been by the management.

 

[Ab Fan]

What a borefest this thread has become. Both the blokes have not even played 25% of their career and this thread seems to be there from eternity.

It's like asking to create attractive visualizations analyzing every sort of factors that affects the game in some way or other with literally a very small set of data.

 

[NoBallZombie]

If only India had a batsman like Babar in their lineup instead of fluke batsmen like Rahul, they could have chased this score easily.

 

[jnaveen1980]

India need someone like Babar to stabilise their batting line up.

like he did against West Indies in the world cup? including a life?

 

[spiderreddy]

If only India had a batsman like Babar in their lineup instead of fluke batsmen like Rahul, they could have chased this score easily.

When was the last time Babar helped Pakistan successfully chase down 270+ ?

 

[Mobashir]

like he did against West Indies in the world cup? including a life?

Haha that's great stuff! You had to go that far to find a Babar failure? Even if he is so great he fails more often that this and you will find many failures.

 

[KingKhan12]

Wow no bhangra today by some Rahul is the best dynamic batsmen fans.

 

[Ronaldo7]

Rahul flopped today and will continue to do so.

I don't and won't rate Babar's runs against Bangladesh. We should never rate runs made against minnows. This is just net practice for him. The real test will start when we play ENG in ENG

 

[tyron_woodley]

lol both sides are crazy haha. Babar is great player. One of the best in the world.

Rahul is more like a good player with insanely great potential.

Let's see what happens in the t20 world cup because in tests babar is way ahead.

 

[Ronaldo7]

like he did against West Indies in the world cup? including a life?

That taunt can be used for Kohli, Rohit and Rahul who all went into hiding when they had to facw NZ in the WC semi. What happened to these three?

Just accept that Babar is ahead. It's not that hard. You're just making a fool out of yourself.

 

[Mujtaba2900]

I think its time everyone realize that Both are Equally Talented One Has immense talent for timing and Mental Strength to Perform with consistency
Other is equally Talented in Power hitting and aerial shots with which he will be able to Compensate for his Failure in some innings
But In Tests No contest at the moment Babar Is Miles ahead
In loi Rahul Did really well to establish himself as Indian premier Power hitter/ Inning Accelerator good for him.
Seeing him perform is Absolute delight when is in full flow His Extra Cover Shots Are Just Gorgeous amd leg Flicks Are Treat to Watch so is babar Azam Drives Straight ,Cover ,On off
We will see after Some Years Who Will become Next Generation Kohli or Smith

 

[spiderreddy]

ODI stats in NZ
Babar : 25 avg, 26 SR
Rahul : 92 avg, 128 SR

 

[Mujtaba2900]

Kl Rahul doesn't have the mental strength to Survive Pressure situations today was a pretty good example he is free flowing when runs are already on the board and wickets are in hand otherwise he is walking wicket on these type of pitches

 

[Abdullah719]

ODI stats in NZ
Babar : 25 avg, 26 SR
Rahul : 92 avg, 128 SR

ODI stats outside NZ:

Babar Azam
average 58
strike-rate 88

KL Rahul
average 43
strike-rate 84

 

[Mujtaba2900]

ODI stats outside NZ:

Babar Azam
average 58
strike-rate 88

KL Rahul
average 43
strike-rate 84

And that obviously includes SA Tour and Aus tour where he Averages 50+ in both countries

 

[Mobashir]

ODI stats in NZ
Babar : 25 avg, 26 SR
Rahul : 92 avg, 128 SR

Speaks volume of your understanding of the game of cricket! Bravo!

 

[KingKhan12]

ODI stats in NZ
Babar : 25 avg, 26 SR
Rahul : 92 avg, 128 SR

That shows your desperation. Rahul faced New Zealand reserve bowlers this series.
Same Babar scored a 100 against New Zealand in England on a tougher pitch against their best bowlers and has overall 41 averages vs New Zealand. So a bad series in New Zealand makes him lesser then Rahul. Well Kohli has had a bad ODI series in New Zealand so he's a poor batsmen and Rahul is better then him.

Oh Babar averages only 50 in England and Australia.

ODI stats
Rahul in India 38 Avg, In Sri Lanka 9Avg, in England 41 Avg, In UAE 61 and in Zimbabwe 196 avg.
Thats his stats in his career so far

Babar in Pakistan 66, Australia 56, England 50, South Africa 48.

T20 Rahul only has a high average and strike rate because his innings against Ireland where he got 70 so average of 70 at strike rate 194. You take that away his strike rate drops.
And don't get me started on T20 averages Babar is well ahead against all big teams.

 

[spiderreddy]

T20I stats in NZ
Rahul : 56 avg, 145 SR
Babar : 55 avg, 125 SR

 

[Rajdeep]

T20I stats in NZ
Rahul : 56 avg, 145 SR
Babar : 55 avg, 125 SR

Give it a rest. Babar is a better batsman than Rahul and in the league of fab 4.

 

[Titan24]

Rahul’s 4 runs today were better and more explosive than Babar’s entire career. Babar cant do what Rahul can.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Congo to Babar. Dude is super consistent these days. Deserves all the applause.

KL dismissal a bit unlucky. 99 out of 100 times he wouldn't hav cut that. Had a golden chance to do something special today....but stuff happens.

 

[KingKhan12]

T20I stats in NZ
Rahul : 56 avg, 145 SR
Babar : 55 avg, 125 SR

T20 stats in Australia
Rahul 13.50 avg, 84 SR
Babar 57.50 avg, 138 SR

Rahul playing against New Zealand C team bowlers where their are tiny boundaries and only managed to beat Babar by a average of 1 wow.

 

[Titan24]

Congo to Babar. Dude is super consistent these days. Deserves all the applause.

KL dismissal a bit unlucky. 99 out of 100 times he wouldn't hav cut that. Had a golden chance to do something special today....but stuff happens.

Ofcourse stuff happens, but unfortunately some Rahul fans jump on the thread whenever he scores a 50 or so or when Babar doesnt score without realizing that stuff happens. The only realistic comparison is in T20s but fan brigade of Rahul dont want to look at stats, rankings, team of the year etc but just how explosive Rahul can be which has become pretty monotonous now.

When and if Rahul will be topping the charts across the formats which he should considering the talent some say he has and hype around him then I think it will be some sort of comparison as at the moment its nothing more than hope.

There should be some performance to compare somebody with other player, any random dude cant be compared with top players of the world based upon potential only.

 

[KingKhan12]

Rahuls T20 stats especially his SR where his fans does bhangra are misleading.
You take his 2 innings out and his strike rate is same as Babar.
One innings vs Ireland where he got 70 at 194 SR. And then the game vs WI on a road with tiny boundaries in USA where West Indies scored 245 and Johnson Charles got 79 off 33 balls at 240SR. On same pitch Rahul scored 110 with SR of 210. But still India lost that game aswell. Take this 2 innings out as 1 was minnow and 2nd in a place where a international match should never be played. And Rahul strike rate is same a Babar or probably less.

No doubt Rahul has the power game but he needs to do it against better oppositions on consistent basis.

 

[Titan24]

Just to add to my post #3190 (Man this thread had gone too long); I am not saying Rahul is a randomn guy ofcourse he has skills with the bat but at the moment he is random guy for top players of the world as he isnt anywhere close to the league as the rankings of ODIs and test also reflect.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Ofcourse stuff happens, but unfortunately some Rahul fans jump on the thread whenever he scores a 50 or so or when Babar doesnt score without realizing that stuff happens. The only realistic comparison is in T20s but fan brigade of Rahul dont want to look at stats, rankings, team of the year etc but just how explosive Rahul can be which has become pretty monotonous now.

When and if Rahul will be topping the charts across the formats which he should considering the talent some say he has and hype around him then I think it will be some sort of comparison as at the moment its nothing more than hope.

There should be some performance to compare somebody with other player, any random dude cant be compared with top players of the world based upon potential only.

So you will club all posters' comments and equate it to one.

I can do the same and make it a ridiculous comparison.

By the way, any drunken monkey can do the comparison once both have same stats with similar sample sets.

The fun lies in seeing stuff before the stats are there lol.

Rahul is comparable to Babar in all formats. Tests Rahul has faded so yeah there the comparison looks ridiculous right now but there was a time when Rahul was crazy good in the format.

As for ODis and T20s, if you think there is only comparison in T20s...then good for you.

I beg to differ.

I have been in PP for a long time and seen a LOT of these fights bhai.

Statements get thrown out willy nilly.

I still remember years back when everyone was crapping on Ashwin's stats in Aus without realizing the context. Then when other spinners toured there and had their careers derailed, reality sunk in.

Same happened when I called out Hafeez to be chucking in WC 2019. Hate galore. All of those posters were nowhere to be found once reality sunk in.

Forums are for discussing possibilities.

I don't get why Pakistanis feel insulted when Rahul is compared to Babar.

Rahul is India's crown jewel.

And chances are good that he will do justice to his talent and I guess people will only accept that when they see the numbers...but hey there is nothing great about acknowledging an obvious fact.

It's like some posters who say "I accept Sachin/Wasim is an ATG but..."

And I am like "LMAOOO what's this whole dealing about you accepting. If you don't accept that, you will have no credibility so stop throwing a bone to others and just state what you wanna state."

Fun lies in possibilities bhai.

 

[Saurav]

Maybe Rahul prefers to open after all

But we need him to own no. 5,so should be given more chances

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Ofcourse stuff happens, but unfortunately some Rahul fans jump on the thread whenever he scores a 50 or so or when Babar doesnt score without realizing that stuff happens. The only realistic comparison is in T20s but fan brigade of Rahul dont want to look at stats, rankings, team of the year etc but just how explosive Rahul can be which has become pretty monotonous now.

When and if Rahul will be topping the charts across the formats which he should considering the talent some say he has and hype around him then I think it will be some sort of comparison as at the moment its nothing more than hope.

There should be some performance to compare somebody with other player, any random dude cant be compared with top players of the world based upon potential only.

There is some performance.

Not like Shaw was compared to Babar.

 

[Titan24]

So you will club all posters' comments and equate it to one.

I can do the same and make it a ridiculous comparison.

By the way, any drunken monkey can do the comparison once both have same stats with similar sample sets.

The fun lies in seeing stuff before the stats are there lol.

Rahul is comparable to Babar in all formats. Tests Rahul has faded so yeah there the comparison looks ridiculous right now but there was a time when Rahul was crazy good in the format.

As for ODis and T20s, if you think there is only comparison in T20s...then good for you.

I beg to differ.

I have been in PP for a long time and seen a LOT of these fights bhai.

Statements get thrown out willy nilly.

I still remember years back when everyone was crapping on Ashwin's stats in Aus without realizing the context. Then when other spinners toured there and had their careers derailed, reality sunk in.

Same happened when I called out Hafeez to be chucking in WC 2019. Hate galore. All of those posters were nowhere to be found once reality sunk in.

Forums are for discussing possibilities.

I don't get why Pakistanis feel insulted when Rahul is compared to Babar.

Rahul is India's crown jewel.

And chances are good that he will do justice to his talent and I guess people will only accept that when they see the numbers...but hey there is nothing great about acknowledging an obvious fact.

It's like some posters who say "I accept Sachin/Wasim is an ATG but..."

And I am like "LMAOOO what's this whole dealing about you accepting. If you don't accept that, you will have no credibility so stop throwing a bone to others and just state what you wanna state."

Fun lies in possibilities bhai.

You misunderstood me bro. I mentioned some Rahul fans come on this thread when he scores a 50 and didnt mean all.

Secondly I totally understand the discussions and possibilities of things happening and absolutely that is where the fun is. However, if you see posts of some of Rahul fans they are not talking about possibilities rather they are trying to prove that Rahul is better even currently and how Rahul can do certain things which Babar cant while Babar cant do what Rahul can.

Also its funny that possibility for some only arise when Rahul scores a 50 and Babar fails while when its other way around nobody has to really come here to prove anything as Babar is already ahead on any standard. Yes possibility do exist of everything but those statements should be made mentioning the future not arguing about current performances when one guy far ahead in two formats.

Ofcourse there is a possibility Rahul can even be the next Bradman and I dont want to spoil the fun but saying that he is currently would be too far fetched and would be going from the category of fun to question the understanding of the game.

Just to give you an example I have rated Shaheen highly since his U19 days. I can say I see him at this level in future but saying he is as good as Starc in ODIs because of one decent world cup would be far fetched.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Tbf, Babar can be a greater bat even without higher SR.

It's all about scoring important runs and putting their team in a good position.

The person who does that will be rated higher.

Pujara ain't flashy (can be called boring) but he is one of the BEST matchwinners in tests.

He could have done well in previous era ODIs. Seen him score tons in A games. Averages 54 in List A.

If he were born in the 90s, he would be 3X the star he is now.

It's all about impact. Different players deliver impact in different ways.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You misunderstood me bro. I mentioned some Rahul fans come on this thread when he scores a 50 and didnt mean all.

Secondly I totally understand the discussions and possibilities of things happening and absolutely that is where the fun is. However, if you see posts of some of Rahul fans they are not talking about possibilities rather they are trying to prove that Rahul is better even currently and how Rahul can do certain things which Babar cant while Babar cant do what Rahul can.

Also its funny that possibility for some only arise when Rahul scores a 50 and Babar fails while when its other way around nobody has to really come here to prove anything as Babar is already ahead on any standard. Yes possibility do exist of everything but those statements should be made mentioning the future not arguing about current performances when one guy far ahead in two formats.

Ofcourse there is a possibility Rahul can even be the next Bradman and I dont want to spoil the fun but saying that he is currently would be too far fetched and would be going from the category of fun to question the understanding of the game.

Just to give you an example I have rated Shaheen highly since his U19 days. I can say I see him at this level in future but saying he is as good as Starc in ODIs because of one decent world cup would be far fetched.

Yeah I misread it. Apologies. Maaf kar do bhai.

As for Rahul - Babar comparison, I feel both sides are OTT. We can praise one without putting down other.

I don't think people are declaring Rahul to get to Bradman. They are saying he has the potential to be ridiculously good based on so many factors:

Factor 1 - Steyn rated Rahul back in 2013 when he was a nobody.

Factor 2 - I was just talking to one of my friends and he was telling me about how Rahul scored like 160 odd in a 260 target match on a 4th day rank turner in domestic. He was batting on another planet while his partners could barely put bat to ball. The SAME thing happened in India-Aus series first 2 tests in 2017. Without Rahul, Aus would have won the series. He was batting on another level and FIRST time I saw someone outshine Pujara on tough Indian pitches.

Factor 3 - Rahul when he gets into zone has played some pretty RIDICULOUS knocks.

a. The Bangalore test knock of 60 odd in 2nd innings (90 in first innings). The series was hanging in the balance. The pressure was INSANE. Lyon and O Keefe bowling thunderbolts and Indian team was under the pump. This knock CHANGED the whole series (with the help of Pujara and Rahane later on). Go and watch this innings man...you will be blown away. This is quality of the highest order.

b. The knock against WI in USA (which gets downplayed) but I saw the knock and it was insane level stuff. Coming to bat 2 down for little score and then almost chasing down 240. Had Dhoni not been so useless, it was an easy win actually.

c. Take this IPL knock.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...-punjab-40th-match-indian-premier-league-2018

The pitch had gone ROGUE. Turned into a TOTAL rank turner.

Everyone flopped except Rahul.

Rahul - 95 runs @ 135 SR
Next highest score - 11 @ 68 SR (Axar scored 9 runs but had to flay his bat around..Stoinis batted properly and striked at 68)

I saw this knock LIVE and it was sooo hard to even time the ball. Rahul started slow and constructed the innings knowing fully well that his wicket was the difference between victory and loss. And he almost succeeded if not for some PERFECT YORKERS nailed by Jofra in the end. He even figured out a way to smash Jofra's perfect deliveries but it was too late.

I haven't seen a better IPL knock in my life.

There are many other awesome knocks but I wanted to highlight these 3. And by the way, Rahul has scored daddy hundreds on GREEN SEAMERS back at home too.

The problem with Rahul was that he lost his way. But the ability, shot making skills, temperament is there. Just untapped tho.

That's why Rahul is rated so high.

You don't see Indians raving about Shreyas Iyer who has performed very well too (no disrespect to him) but Rahul...and there's a reason for that.

As for Shaheen - Starc....in all fairness...the gap between them is not the same as the gap between Rahul - Babar. Shaheen is new while Starc is half way (or more) through his career. It's not like Rahul is compared to Steve Smith in tests....or Kohli in ODIs.

 

[Titan24]

Yeah I misread it. Apologies. Maaf kar do bhai.

As for Rahul - Babar comparison, I feel both sides are OTT. We can praise one without putting down other.

I don't think people are declaring Rahul to get to Bradman. They are saying he has the potential to be ridiculously good based on so many factors:

Factor 1 - Steyn rated Rahul back in 2013 when he was a nobody.

Factor 2 - I was just talking to one of my friends and he was telling me about how Rahul scored like 160 odd in a 260 target match on a 4th day rank turner in domestic. He was batting on another planet while his partners could barely put bat to ball. The SAME thing happened in India-Aus series first 2 tests in 2017. Without Rahul, Aus would have won the series. He was batting on another level and FIRST time I saw someone outshine Pujara on tough Indian pitches.

Factor 3 - Rahul when he gets into zone has played some pretty RIDICULOUS knocks.

a. The Bangalore test knock of 60 odd in 2nd innings (90 in first innings). The series was hanging in the balance. The pressure was INSANE. Lyon and O Keefe bowling thunderbolts and Indian team was under the pump. This knock CHANGED the whole series (with the help of Pujara and Rahane later on). Go and watch this innings man...you will be blown away. This is quality of the highest order.

b. The knock against WI in USA (which gets downplayed) but I saw the knock and it was insane level stuff. Coming to bat 2 down for little score and then almost chasing down 240. Had Dhoni not been so useless, it was an easy win actually.

c. Take this IPL knock.

https://www.espncricinfo.com/series...-punjab-40th-match-indian-premier-league-2018

The pitch had gone ROGUE. Turned into a TOTAL rank turner.

Everyone flopped except Rahul.

Rahul - 95 runs @ 135 SR
Next highest score - 11 @ 68 SR (Axar scored 9 runs but had to flay his bat around..Stoinis batted properly and striked at 68)

I saw this knock LIVE and it was sooo hard to even time the ball. Rahul started slow and constructed the innings knowing fully well that his wicket was the difference between victory and loss. And he almost succeeded if not for some PERFECT YORKERS nailed by Jofra in the end. He even figured out a way to smash Jofra's perfect deliveries but it was too late.

I haven't seen a better IPL knock in my life.

There are many other awesome knocks but I wanted to highlight these 3. And by the way, Rahul has scored daddy hundreds on GREEN SEAMERS back at home too.

The problem with Rahul was that he lost his way. But the ability, shot making skills, temperament is there. Just untapped tho.

That's why Rahul is rated so high.

You don't see Indians raving about Shreyas Iyer who has performed very well too (no disrespect to him) but Rahul...and there's a reason for that.

As for Shaheen - Starc....in all fairness...the gap between them is not the same as the gap between Rahul - Babar. Shaheen is new while Starc is half way (or more) through his career. It's not like Rahul is compared to Steve Smith in tests....or Kohli in ODIs.

Pretty well explained and thanks for the overall info. I know how good Rahul is and how he was rated since his early days. I never once doubted his skills but I think he hasnt shown enough of hunger at international level for runs. I agree fans from both sides get overboard and its a natural reaction when one goes to an extreme other tries to go to another.

Still I think Rahul needs to show consistency and start making 100s to come really into competition. Again he Rahul is extremely skilled but to fulfill one’s potential a player needs a few other things as well and Rahul needs to develop those soon.

Shaheen vs Starc comparison was just an example and its definitely not the same as difference between Rahul and Babar.

 

[RamLakhan]

Rahul is perhaps on the way to become the BIGGEST UNSUNG HERO of cricket! A man who couldn't fulfill his skills and talent (Both team management & himself responsible for that!)