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Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

Babar's test record, which is small in sample size, is mediocre but he is one of the best ODI bats as of today. He is top 3.

Rahul is not best at anything. Neither tests, ODIs or t20Is.

Babar is certainly a very good ODI bat. But KL is a better test and T20 batsman. He is actually ranked number 3 in T20Is.

And the sample size is the comparable for both Babar and KL Rahul in SENA. 6 and 9 matches respectively.
 
Babar is nothing batsman in test. Even Jadeja is better than him. So no comparison.
In ODI Babar is a good batsman.
 
Currently Babar Azam is getting better and better with each game where as KL Rahul is just wasting chances after chances. I hope KL Rahul doesn't become another Umar Akmal. :inti
 
Babar>Rahul in t20s also now.
Only format where Rahul is better is tests now and even there babar is starting to catch up and should eventually overtake Rahul.
 
KL has wasted too many chances.
Now he doesn't give confidence as a batsman.
Babar has raced ahead of him.
 
I watched some of Rahul's batting when he made a 100 against England, no doubt if he becomes consistent he will be a force.
 
KL Rahul has been a let down in the last few months. Not a technical issue with him but his confidence seems to be down after a couple of poor performances. I thought he would kick on after the IPL.
 
Currently Babar Azam is getting better and better with each game where as KL Rahul is just wasting chances after chances. I hope KL Rahul doesn't become another Umar Akmal. :inti

KL should have been ahead by now given that he is more gifted as a stroke player compared to Babar. Also, he is a few years older than Babar which doesnt help this comparison.
 
Time running out for Rahul, first time I've seen him in a long while and he played an awful shot to get out :(
 
Babar is easily ahead. Rahul should be compared to Haris Sohail instead.
 
Babar is easily ahead. Rahul should be compared to Haris Sohail instead.

Babar is ahead. Rahul acts like a petulant child and doesn't come across as a team player. He's reckless too
 
This is like a pendulum topic where Babar is ahead based on his heroics on dull,slow UAE pitches and this would change and will change when Rahul will score runs in Australia
 
I wasnt a 100% convinced about Babar being a top class player even though his stats are amazing but i think not only has he improved, he looks on the verge becoming the middle order player we havent had in ODI cricket since Inzi and Yousef. He still lacks 2 things one is just raw power and the other is hitting spinners( the 2 are linked) which he needs to challenge the best in the world.
 
KL Lokesh could bat twice and still not score as much as Babar.


Bobs is leagues ahead
 
I wasnt a 100% convinced about Babar being a top class player even though his stats are amazing but i think not only has he improved, he looks on the verge becoming the middle order player we havent had in ODI cricket since Inzi and Yousef. He still lacks 2 things one is just raw power and the other is hitting spinners( the 2 are linked) which he needs to challenge the best in the world.

He doesn't need the power but yes, improving his game against spin will take him to the next level. A few sessions with Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf should really help in this regard.
 
He doesn't need the power but yes, improving his game against spin will take him to the next level. A few sessions with Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf should really help in this regard.

I disagree, i think without the power he cant clear boundries and that means he doesnt have an extra gear that the real top players have.
 
Not in tests :inti.
Babar is still finding his feet in Test cricket and has shown signs of coming of age.

He had a match-winning 68* (RH) in tough conditions against Anderson and Broad and 99 in his last innings.

The glee on Mickey Arthur's face when Babar scores a half-century shows that his long term plan is to make him a Number Three in Tests.

In LOI's, it pretty obvious that an opener is what he is best suited for but to accommodate Imam, Malik, and Hafeez, he has to bat at three. Not to mention the slow and sluggish pitches of the U.A.E. undermine his natural stroke play.
 
Is this going to go the way of Umar Akmal v Virat Kohli as well, does Babar have the same mystical thread title powers as his cousin? :13:
 
Pretty dissapointed with this Rahul thing. Anyone who saw him bat will vouch that he has enormous talent and I have followed him since his Ranji trophy days. We all know he has class but somehow not able to replicate it into result in international cricket. Maybe time to play another season of Ranji, spent some time with Sachin in nets (it helped Virat after Emg tour 2014) and then come back. He is only 26 so lots of time left.
 
Don't know what the future holds for Rahul. He's just not living up to the mark.

Will be 27 in few months. With the talent coming through, he may very well be out.

Should be played throughout the Aus tour. If he still shows the Akmalesque performances, should be shown the door.
 
Don't know what the future holds for Rahul. He's just not living up to the mark.

Will be 27 in few months. With the talent coming through, he may very well be out.

Should be played throughout the Aus tour. If he still shows the Akmalesque performances, should be shown the door.

If he gets a consistent run,I'm confident he'll find his feet.This chop and change is destroying his confidence
 
Rahul just signed a deal with Puma. He ain't going anywhere. Kohli would play him more. Like it or not, these things play a major role!
 
Rahul just signed a deal with Puma. He ain't going anywhere. Kohli would play him more. Like it or not, these things play a major role!

One might assume that but it's not necessarily the case. Rahul was a beast in IPL and there is no reason why he won't be able to replicate that for years to come. There are probably more ad dollars and visibility in IPL then international cricket and Puma signed him for that exposure.

I think there are two groups that influence Indian cricket. One is the Mumbai mafia and the other Chennai(CSK). The Mumbai gang has Gavaskar, Manjrekar trying to influence through commentary (they can hype or put a player down through commentary. Just listen to Manjrekar's commentary while Pant was batting yesterday), Shastri as the coach and Rohit as the VC in the team. They will influence decisions like picking Shaw over Mayank, dropping Karun altogether, picking Rohit for tests in Australia, picking Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians). Then there is Tendulkar trying to voice his opinions to support the Shaw decision etc.

The Chennai gang will influence to keep MSD, Karthik, Jadav, Jadeja around.

Then there's Kohli. He assumes he has a say in everything but I believe he's just a tool that can be easily influenced by praise from Shastri and co. At the end, it appears Kohli is the king in all matters but the two groups have smartly operated for the past few years in the background getting what they want.
 
If he gets a consistent run,I'm confident he'll find his feet.This chop and change is destroying his confidence

Lol at consistent run. Time to kick this wannabe Kohli out of Indian team. Played all 5 tests against England and people still want him to play and find his feet while other players like Karun Nair are dropped unfairly.
 
One might assume that but it's not necessarily the case. Rahul was a beast in IPL and there is no reason why he won't be able to replicate that for years to come. There are probably more ad dollars and visibility in IPL then international cricket and Puma signed him for that exposure.

I think there are two groups that influence Indian cricket. One is the Mumbai mafia and the other Chennai(CSK). The Mumbai gang has Gavaskar, Manjrekar trying to influence through commentary (they can hype or put a player down through commentary. Just listen to Manjrekar's commentary while Pant was batting yesterday), Shastri as the coach and Rohit as the VC in the team. They will influence decisions like picking Shaw over Mayank, dropping Karun altogether, picking Rohit for tests in Australia, picking Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians). Then there is Tendulkar trying to voice his opinions to support the Shaw decision etc.

The Chennai gang will influence to keep MSD, Karthik, Jadav, Jadeja around.

Then there's Kohli. He assumes he has a say in everything but I believe he's just a tool that can be easily influenced by praise from Shastri and co. At the end, it appears Kohli is the king in all matters but the two groups have smartly operated for the past few years in the background getting what they want.

#ThankYouIPL for giving us Mumbai and CSK Mafia Gang. :inti
 
Rahul is to blame for his plight but look at the chances he got. His batting slot keeps changing from 1 to 4 without a consistent run. I think he's just in the team albeit out of 11 to satisfy the Karnataka group considering the injustices meted out to Karun and Mayank. Dhoni and his Chennai gang have roped in the hack Rayudu who will be given a run at one stable spot unlike what they did to Rahul
 
Lol at consistent run. Time to kick this wannabe Kohli out of Indian team. Played all 5 tests against England and people still want him to play and find his feet while other players like Karun Nair are dropped unfairly.

Nair was indeed dropped unfairly.Should have replaced Rahane instead of going to Vihari

However no point comparing to opener.Opening in England has always been very tough and he did manage a late ton
 
Rahul is to blame for his plight but look at the chances he got. His batting slot keeps changing from 1 to 4 without a consistent run. I think he's just in the team albeit out of 11 to satisfy the Karnataka group considering the injustices meted out to Karun and Mayank. Dhoni and his Chennai gang have roped in the hack Rayudu who will be given a run at one stable spot unlike what they did to Rahul

+1
 
Rahul is to blame for his plight but look at the chances he got. His batting slot keeps changing from 1 to 4 without a consistent run. I think he's just in the team albeit out of 11 to satisfy the Karnataka group considering the injustices meted out to Karun and Mayank. Dhoni and his Chennai gang have roped in the hack Rayudu who will be given a run at one stable spot unlike what they did to Rahul

Do you have any proof of CSK, Mumbai and Karnataka Mafia Group's existence in Indian Cricket? :inti
 
Do you have any proof of CSK, Mumbai and Karnataka Mafia Group's existence in Indian Cricket? :inti

Read my post above where I listed how I think they operate. It's my opinion based on the selections and how Indian team has gone about in the last few years
 
One might assume that but it's not necessarily the case. Rahul was a beast in IPL and there is no reason why he won't be able to replicate that for years to come. There are probably more ad dollars and visibility in IPL then international cricket and Puma signed him for that exposure.

I think there are two groups that influence Indian cricket. One is the Mumbai mafia and the other Chennai(CSK). The Mumbai gang has Gavaskar, Manjrekar trying to influence through commentary (they can hype or put a player down through commentary. Just listen to Manjrekar's commentary while Pant was batting yesterday), Shastri as the coach and Rohit as the VC in the team. They will influence decisions like picking Shaw over Mayank, dropping Karun altogether, picking Rohit for tests in Australia, picking Krunal Pandya (Mumbai Indians). Then there is Tendulkar trying to voice his opinions to support the Shaw decision etc.

The Chennai gang will influence to keep MSD, Karthik, Jadav, Jadeja around.

Then there's Kohli. He assumes he has a say in everything but I believe he's just a tool that can be easily influenced by praise from Shastri and co. At the end, it appears Kohli is the king in all matters but the two groups have smartly operated for the past few years in the background getting what they want.

Well said. I have time for Rahul. His hundred at oval was straw he clutched. Pitches in Aus should suit him. It is all in his head though!

Reg Mumbai mafia and Chennai gang - 100% agree. Manjerekar was virtually cheerleading shardul thakur in the first test v WI. Even after he limped off, he was talking down Umesh. Unfortunately for him, Umesh took 10 and Thakur should never play again.
 
#ThankYouIPL for giving us Mumbai and CSK Mafia Gang. :inti

Mumbai gang was present since time immemorial and has nothing to do with IPL. Nilesh Kulkarni, Sairaj Bhahutule, Sameer Dighe, Abey Kuruvilla in the 90's
Before that you have Ashok Mankad, Miling Rege etc.

Late nineties, it was Karnataka - Dravid, Laxman, Kumble, Prasad, Srinath, Joshi, Bharadwaj, Johnson, Dodda Ganesh, Sujit Somasunder etc

IPL brought another power player- TNCA thats all.
 
He is ahead of K RAHUL.In odi t20 and now in tests almost.

Babar is performing and scoring runs consistently. That is what matters the most. On the other hand KL Rahul is wasting as many opportunities as he can. And some people are still complaining that he is not getting enough chances.
 
Babar is performing and scoring runs consistently. That is what matters the most. On the other hand KL Rahul is wasting as many opportunities as he can. And some people are still complaining that he is not getting enough chances.

And some says he has that extra gear which makes him better but i think K Rahul has missed on many opportinities.
 
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If Rahul has to succeed in LO, he has to do it at 4, can't wait for opening slot to come and then perform.
 
KL Rahul is focussing on Instagram modelling lol. Obviously he is a mental midget. I think guys like GIll, Shaw will overtake him soon.
 
Rahul was always a hack lol. He is one of those 'talented' guys who never make it big. He is doing his best to go Umar Akmal route.
 
Rahul was always a hack lol. He is one of those 'talented' guys who never make it big. He is doing his best to go Umar Akmal route.

Rahul is not a hack Pant is. Rahul is just a player who has been overhyped by some fans. Some of them even tried to compare him with Kohli. He is not focussing on his game these days and that is the reason for his poor performance. He is definitely going the Umar Akmal way. :kohli
 
Rahul is not a hack Pant is. Rahul is just a player who has been overhyped by some fans. Some of them even tried to compare him with Kohli. He is not focussing on his game these days and that is the reason for his poor performance. He is definitely going the Umar Akmal way. :kohli

Being compared to Kohli was the worst. I knew Kohli was going to be the best batsman of his era way back in 2012. You could see that the way Kohli took charge of the batting and pummeled bowling attacks match after match. I dunno why people hype players so much without seeing them perform first.
 
Australia tour is a make or break for Rahul. I don't believe he is going Akmal way. He will come good but may miss out from a spot in ODIs. He has to learn to bat in middle order, that's the only way.
 
Rahul is to blame for his plight but look at the chances he got. His batting slot keeps changing from 1 to 4 without a consistent run. I think he's just in the team albeit out of 11 to satisfy the Karnataka group considering the injustices meted out to Karun and Mayank. Dhoni and his Chennai gang have roped in the hack Rayudu who will be given a run at one stable spot unlike what they did to Rahul

Difference is Raydu grab the chance while Rahul throw it away..
 
Both test average is almost similar now but one have increased from 27 to 34 while other have drop his test batting average from 45 to 36.
 
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Rahul should be ashamed of himself that someone like Babar is considered better than him.
 
KL Rahul is finished.

Pakistan can have this one.

You can watch Rahul playing for the Hyderabad Hungamas in the IPL.
 
KL Rahul is finished.

Pakistan can have this one.

You can watch Rahul playing for the Hyderabad Hungamas in the IPL.

I wrote this post earlier in the year.

I've made similar criticisms about Rahul from day one. Take a step back and look at how he bats, you'll notice the flaws in his approach. It only looks good until the opposition starts outsmarting you and feeds the balls where they know you'll succumb to the temptation.

These are not technical issues (he's quite solid in that regard) but more shot selection. He doesn't play the percentages and that's a disaster waiting to happen.

He's still doing the same thing and as predicted, Rahul has gotten worse.

It's an absolute shame but he has no grit to his batting. Just a flowery technique. Compare this to Sachin Tendulkar in 2004 in that epic 241 vs. Australia (Sydney). The Little Master chose to stop playing on the offside in a bid to get them to bowl where he wanted. And that's despite being twice as gifted as KL Rahul.

When it's time to put in the work, you have to get out of your comfort zone.

This is the difference in mindset. Hell, he doesn't have to look that far. Kohli is another example of perseverance under duress.

At best, he's going to have moments of brilliance (the odd big score) but nothing substantial until changes are made.
 
I think the time has come to try out different openers..

Rahul isn't made for test cricket and should concentrate on white ball cricket...can become a beast in ODI & T20s like Rohit...

Vijay is done and dusted...might probably be playing his last test...

Dhawan too is tried and tested failure in test ( but a beast in ODI)...

So new openers Shaw and Mayank should be given longer run and groomed for next overseas cycle...
 
With Shaw replacing Vijay, Rahul should play remaining two tests.

He has 5 innings left, let's see what impact he makes. If it's still the same old story of playing a career saving useless knock when everything is lost, then throw him and bring in Agarwal.
 
Rahul vs Babar thread will end up as atrociously as Ahmad Shahzad vs Virat Kohli thread. Babar at such a young age is becoming the most important person in Pakistan batting lineup, where Rahul is probably himself not sure why exactly is he in the team.
 
K.L. Rahul .... perform in the rest of the innings you'll play or pack your bags and go back to the domestics.

As for him scoring a century in the last Test in England, which was also a dead rubber, I saw a lot of fans on PP credit him for that innings back then. Look what he has done after that. You perform when the series is alive, rather than lay eggs at that time, and instead perform when the series is sealed in the opposition's name.
 
Time for him to be dropped. He has the talent but seems to lack the mentality for international cricket at the moment. For India's next home series India should use Shaw and another domestic performer as openers. Vijay is getting on in age so time to bring a new player in.

Kohli,Rahane ,and Pujara should be the experienced batters. Number 6 and the 2 openers should be used to develop the next generation for India.
 
I wrote this post earlier in the year.



He's still doing the same thing and as predicted, Rahul has gotten worse.

It's an absolute shame but he has no grit to his batting. Just a flowery technique. Compare this to Sachin Tendulkar in 2004 in that epic 241 vs. Australia (Sydney). The Little Master chose to stop playing on the offside in a bid to get them to bowl where he wanted. And that's despite being twice as gifted as KL Rahul.

When it's time to put in the work, you have to get out of your comfort zone.

This is the difference in mindset. Hell, he doesn't have to look that far. Kohli is another example of perseverance under duress.

At best, he's going to have moments of brilliance (the odd big score) but nothing substantial until changes are made.

Rahul is like a young Hafeez. When in form he looks the best batsman in the world, but he has no temperament whatsoever.
 
Babar is equally bad in tests , too much selfish to play in test team . His last innings against Nz was a proof of that , he was going only for his fifty , not trying to save tail from exposure . As soon as he completed his fifty , he played rubbish shot. While Rahul needs to take sometime off from test cricket and go back to domestic to gain form.
 
K.L. Rahul .... perform in the rest of the innings you'll play or pack your bags and go back to the domestics.

As for him scoring a century in the last Test in England, which was also a dead rubber, I saw a lot of fans on PP credit him for that innings back then. Look what he has done after that. You perform when the series is alive, rather than lay eggs at that time, and instead perform when the series is sealed in the opposition's name.

Well we have fans like [MENTION=147270]the_outsider[/MENTION] and [MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] who think that KL Rahul deserves to play full series and he doesn't care what fans think about him. He has IPL money and he is laughing his way to his bank.

I said the exact same thing that you are saying now that he should play domestic cricket but one of these guys asked me 'what will KL Rahul learn in the domestic cricket?'. :inti
 
Babar is equally bad in tests , too much selfish to play in test team . His last innings against Nz was a proof of that , he was going only for his fifty , not trying to save tail from exposure . As soon as he completed his fifty , he played rubbish shot. While Rahul needs to take sometime off from test cricket and go back to domestic to gain form.

He has the highest Test average in 2018.

He has made poor mistakes with the tail but that can be learned with time. Not everyone is VVS Laxman.
 
I was just wondering which thread on PakPassion has the most pages? Because I heard someone say something about a movie thread and I wasn't able to find it so if anyone could send me a link to it, that would be great.
 
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