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Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

Whatever man, you've results in front of you. Its an insult for Babar to be spoken in same sentence as Rahul, talent or no talent.

As for T20s, I don't rate this format, sorry. It's like plastic to me.
 
MP2011 said:
Whatever man, you've results in front of you. Its an insult for Babar to be spoken in same sentence as Rahul, talent or no talent.

As for T20s, I don't rate this format, sorry. It's like plastic to me.
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So are one dayers. Both are plastic in their own way. This is still called pyjama cricket. India is not going to sweat over KL Rahul as they have array of young guns waiting in the wing.
 
IMO, ODIs are a far better test of one's skills than T20s. Whether people name it pyjama cricket, doesn't matter to me.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
So are one dayers. Both are plastic in their own way. This is still called pyjama cricket. India is not going to sweat over KL Rahul as they have array of young guns waiting in the wing.
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The problem is will they get a consistent run under Kohli's volatile captaincty and all the lobbys that operate behind the scenes? Personally I rate Mayank more than Rahul as he is mentally tough , can fight in difficult conditions and can nurture a long innings in phases. KL looks to be softie and one dimensional and lacks the mental strength. But Mayank will rarely get the chance over KL even though he has good 4-5 yrs of service in offering.

I suspect we need to even wait long for Shaw and Gill to get a run over Rahul and Shankar now. Shankar looks to be the new number 4 whereas he should not bat above 6 given that he is not a specialist of that calibre and his competition should be really with Hardik and Kedar for the all-rounder spot.
 
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On the topic, those who compare Rahul with Babar are highly deluded and suffering from some severe insecurity. Babar is way ahead in any format of the game purely based on the consistent runs that he scores. He understands his game well, is mentally steady and rarely gives up his wicket on some rash shot. In other words he maximizes output based on his skills and potential and tries to learn from past.

Rahul does not show any of these qualities other than some eye catching shots here and there. He is more potent in social media and talk shows and should stick to that. These ifs and buts really do not matter, what matters is consistent output on the field and Rahul has nothing to show there at this moment.

It will serve better to Rahul fans to forget their ego, admit the truth and then patiently wait for his evolution to a level or two above even though it is less likely given his exploits so far both in international as well as first class matches.
 
Absolutely Rahul is a failure in front of Babar as of now! But I am still somewhat sure that Rahul would have succeeded had he played in a less competitive & less tense environment (like he is doing in Karnataka Team, KXI IPL team, etc. I am sure he will continue to pile runs in Ranji & IPL even if he is thrown out of National side!) That is because he is assured of his place, his batting position, his role, etc in these teams (It is more than technique & ability! For e.g., Wasim Jaffar continued to score runs for Mumbai even after he was discarded from national side! People may tell it is lack of technique/skills, but I don't think so, it is just about adjusting your mind to play at higher level, it is not that you will always encounter ATG bowlers & tough pitches in International Cricket and always face third class trundlers & flat pitches in domestic cricket! Jaffar had a double century in West Indies against relatively tough bowlers! Some ordinary players in domestic turned out to become champions in international cricket! To be honest I really did not expect Shikhar Dhawan to grow & achieve so much in ODIs! This is something called street smartness which is bigger than ability & skills!)

Rahul is definitely capable of what Babar can do (or even more!) We have seen that in his early stint of Test Career (where he had not aspired for T20/ODI yet!) and his recent glory in IPL (Two completely different formats!) I am not undermining Babar here, I will give it to him for whatever he has achieved for Pakistan (but at the same time he has no tense environment & challenges as Rahul has!) Rahul required that additional mental strength to achieve in Indian Team (to overtake Dhawan/Rohit & become first choice opener - very very tough, I think even Warner/Finch/Roy cannot overtake Dhawan/Rohit! OR he should somehow completely adjust his game for No.4... He seems to be failing in this, but at the same time he is still in the reckoning as he is showing some hope here & there, because India has strange dearth in middle-order batting resources while we have improved in every other tough aspects like death bowling, pace bowling, wrist-spin and even alrounders - as Pandya is at least reliable to some extent!)

That's why comparing these two players is unfair as they are under different circumstances & challenges! We are free to analyse and criticize them separately for whatever they are doing! I really liked some Pakistani bowlers like Aqib Javed, Ata ur Rehman, etc, who used to play against us whenever their main bowlers (like Wasim, Waqar) used to get injured! Because they looked more threatening & skillful compared to our bowlers like Prasad, Mohanty, etc. Unfortunately these were the main-stream bowlers for us and those Pakistani bowlers had to live under the shadow of great bowlers! Hence comparisons sometimes makes no sense! Most English ex-cricketers know Venkatesh Prasad & like him because he got chance there & performed well! (But they may not even know that there were bowlers like Aqib!) At the same time there are people who will rate Prasad & will argue that he deserves what he achieved! So Babar may also get that benefit here because he at least has been assigned a "fixed" responsibility & he is handling it well!
 
Indians using every excuse under the sun to justify KL Rahul's struggles.

We have gone through this with Umar Akmal, so let me tell you this - it just gets worse from here.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Indians using every excuse under the sun to justify KL Rahul's struggles.

We have gone through this with Umar Akmal, so let me tell you this - it just gets worse from here.
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It took 70 ODIS and 4 long years for Mr Azam to play one match-winning knock while chasing against a top team! That tells he's struggling too!
 
Who the hell is KL Rahul and why is this thread not binned already? Awful comparison.
 
Usman Chadda said:
Indians using every excuse under the sun to justify KL Rahul's struggles.

We have gone through this with Umar Akmal, so let me tell you this - it just gets worse from here.
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Exactly. This fandom cause more harm in the long run and Rahul is not the first example of such halo effect. Suresh Raina has been played in Tests for years only to fail at some critical juncture when it was pretty evident he did not have that tenacity to succeed in Test. Rohit has been played in Test in SENA countries over others when it is known that he is not up to that task. I see a similar pattern with Rahul. Since he has made some runs in IPL, people have started to think that he should be an automatic choice even though his List A record is average. This frenzy is nurtured by media and fans alike and it is getting to team management and players as well.

Rahul is full of himself helped by the gullible public where he thinks that he is entitled to play only in top 3 even though Dhawan, Rohit and Virat has impressive numbers. He did not show enough intent or mental fortitude initially to play at number 4, hence team management was forced to think of duds like Rayudu. It's only when he realized that he won't get to play in top 3 and may even miss out on the squad he started showing some flexibility. Of course the media debacle with the talk show helped to bring him to ground but I suspect that is a temporary change. Bottom line is this guy has accomplished nothing in international arena yet but feels entitled to get chance after chance. My worry is that this trend to play incompetent non performers over people who actually deserve a chance based on fan perception and media backing will continue in coming months as well.
 
You don't see Indians hyping Hanuma Vihari who averages 60 in first class cricket. There are many reasons why Indians hype Rahul more than Shreyas or Vihari or Pandey. People who just look at stats may not understand this.

It's all because of our kaptaan sab who dropped him in tests despite being the best Indian batsman in that IndvsAus series we played at home. Not too long ago Rahul was averaging 50+ with a SR of 150+ in T20Is but our kaptaan Saab and TM didn't give him consistent run. He used to play fearless cricket earlier. Now it looks like he is playing to cement his spot.

Having said that, this WC is make or break for Rahul. Shaw and Gill are breathing down his neck. He already lost his test spot to Shaw. If he fails in this WC, I think we can close this thread and move on :uak
 
RamLakhan said:
Absolutely Rahul is a failure in front of Babar as of now! But I am still somewhat sure that Rahul would have succeeded had he played in a less competitive & less tense environment (like he is doing in Karnataka Team, KXI IPL team, etc. I am sure he will continue to pile runs in Ranji & IPL even if he is thrown out of National side!) That is because he is assured of his place, his batting position, his role, etc in these teams (It is more than technique & ability! For e.g., Wasim Jaffar continued to score runs for Mumbai even after he was discarded from national side! People may tell it is lack of technique/skills, but I don't think so, it is just about adjusting your mind to play at higher level, it is not that you will always encounter ATG bowlers & tough pitches in International Cricket and always face third class trundlers & flat pitches in domestic cricket! Jaffar had a double century in West Indies against relatively tough bowlers! Some ordinary players in domestic turned out to become champions in international cricket! To be honest I really did not expect Shikhar Dhawan to grow & achieve so much in ODIs! This is something called street smartness which is bigger than ability & skills!)

Rahul is definitely capable of what Babar can do (or even more!) We have seen that in his early stint of Test Career (where he had not aspired for T20/ODI yet!) and his recent glory in IPL (Two completely different formats!) I am not undermining Babar here, I will give it to him for whatever he has achieved for Pakistan (but at the same time he has no tense environment & challenges as Rahul has!) Rahul required that additional mental strength to achieve in Indian Team (to overtake Dhawan/Rohit & become first choice opener - very very tough, I think even Warner/Finch/Roy cannot overtake Dhawan/Rohit! OR he should somehow completely adjust his game for No.4... He seems to be failing in this, but at the same time he is still in the reckoning as he is showing some hope here & there, because India has strange dearth in middle-order batting resources while we have improved in every other tough aspects like death bowling, pace bowling, wrist-spin and even alrounders - as Pandya is at least reliable to some extent!)

That's why comparing these two players is unfair as they are under different circumstances & challenges! We are free to analyse and criticize them separately for whatever they are doing! I really liked some Pakistani bowlers like Aqib Javed, Ata ur Rehman, etc, who used to play against us whenever their main bowlers (like Wasim, Waqar) used to get injured! Because they looked more threatening & skillful compared to our bowlers like Prasad, Mohanty, etc. Unfortunately these were the main-stream bowlers for us and those Pakistani bowlers had to live under the shadow of great bowlers! Hence comparisons sometimes makes no sense! Most English ex-cricketers know Venkatesh Prasad & like him because he got chance there & performed well! (But they may not even know that there were bowlers like Aqib!) At the same time there are people who will rate Prasad & will argue that he deserves what he achieved! So Babar may also get that benefit here because he at least has been assigned a "fixed" responsibility & he is handling it well!
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You raise some good points, But I am actually the opposite I think its easier to grow as a player where you have other ATG players to learn from and take the pressure away from you, Rahul have got atleast 3 ATG players in kholi, rohit and dhoni to help him grow and guide where Babar was thrown in deep end without anyone helping him from the very begging and had to learn and accept he is the biggest players without actually having any experience.
 
Pakhs said:
You raise some good points, But I am actually the opposite I think its easier to grow as a player where you have other ATG players to learn from and take the pressure away from you, Rahul have got atleast 3 ATG players in kholi, rohit and dhoni to help him grow and guide where Babar was thrown in deep end without anyone helping him from the very begging and had to learn and accept he is the biggest players without actually having any experience.
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it is upto the individual to shape his own career. Mayank Agarwal was used as a replacement out of desperation in Australia. He is a very long term friend and partner of KL Rahul for Karnataka team. Agarwal didn't waste any time grabbing his chance dethroning his friend from the spot. I always believe mental strength is more important than technique. Otherwise Dhoni would not have survived this long. DK on the contrary technically a far better player than Dhoni, He has opened test matches in England negotiated Anderson and Sidebottom. Played a crucial 93 in Kolkatta test against Pakistan when he was only 19 to help India win the test. Dhoni on the other hand is a survivor with unorthodox shots. He knows how to survive , play percentage cricket and take on the bowling.
 
Babar, you elegant, timing-obsessed, insanely watchable, cover-driving, tournament-defining freak.
 
Pakhs said:
You raise some good points, But I am actually the opposite I think its easier to grow as a player where you have other ATG players to learn from and take the pressure away from you, Rahul have got atleast 3 ATG players in kholi, rohit and dhoni to help him grow and guide where Babar was thrown in deep end without anyone helping him from the very begging and had to learn and accept he is the biggest players without actually having any experience.
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Maybe the truth is in between! Also I think Rahul belongs to the group where he would have prospered on his own! Don't know what Babar would have done with ATGs around! You cannot rule out the mental pressure when you have to fight for your place in the side competing with the likes of Rayudu, Kartik, etc! I think his dilemma of batting at No.4 in ODIs disturbed his attitude and it affected even in Tests (where he has the opening slot for himself!) If there was no IPL he would have got dumped by now (His IPL heroics are giving some hope for the selectors!) Also it is not easy to get ATGs just like that! They have to be made! Rohit & Sachin took many matches to reach that level...
 
spiderreddy said:
You don't see Indians hyping Hanuma Vihari who averages 60 in first class cricket. There are many reasons why Indians hype Rahul more than Shreyas or Vihari or Pandey. People who just look at stats may not understand this.

It's all because of our kaptaan sab who dropped him in tests despite being the best Indian batsman in that IndvsAus series we played at home. Not too long ago Rahul was averaging 50+ with a SR of 150+ in T20Is but our kaptaan Saab and TM didn't give him consistent run. He used to play fearless cricket earlier. Now it looks like he is playing to cement his spot.

Having said that, this WC is make or break for Rahul. Shaw and Gill are breathing down his neck. He already lost his test spot to Shaw. If he fails in this WC, I think we can close this thread and move on :uak
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Rahul's first class stats is nothing out of the world , as such we can't assume that he will be the next big thing , more so when he is very inconsistent in his international career so far. I agree Virat's random selection with batting does not help a player and Rahul did suffer because of it but it is also true that Virat did back him in Test continuously since SA series and he has not really justified the chances he got. He was not ready to grab number 4 innODI team initially as I said earlier and it is not a good thing from a budding player to show such inflexibility when he has not cemented his place and the team is looking for players to proactively step up. Two of our biggest ODI openers in last 20 years where originally middle order batsmen but they volunteered when the team was going through trying times - that's Ganguly and Tendulkar which is also one of the most successul ODI opening pairs. They could have just stayed in their comfort zones but they did not. I don't see that intent in Rahul yet.

And Hanuma Vihari probably will never create that buzz with the fans. It's a perception thing and I don't think he prioritizes media management over his own game, at least not yet. His stats speak for himself though, but perception management is a difficult thing to control and not everybody is great at it. This becomes even more critical when the prevalent system works on the perception, probably gets an even greater weightage as opposed to actual merit.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
it is upto the individual to shape his own career. Mayank Agarwal was used as a replacement out of desperation in Australia. He is a very long term friend and partner of KL Rahul for Karnataka team. Agarwal didn't waste any time grabbing his chance dethroning his friend from the spot. I always believe mental strength is more important than technique. Otherwise Dhoni would not have survived this long. DK on the contrary technically a far better player than Dhoni, He has opened test matches in England negotiated Anderson and Sidebottom. Played a crucial 93 in Kolkatta test against Pakistan when he was only 19 to help India win the test. Dhoni on the other hand is a survivor with unorthodox shots. He knows how to survive , play percentage cricket and take on the bowling.
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RamLakhan said:
Maybe the truth is in between! Also I think Rahul belongs to the group where he would have prospered on his own! Don't know what Babar would have done with ATGs around! You cannot rule out the mental pressure when you have to fight for your place in the side competing with the likes of Rayudu, Kartik, etc! I think his dilemma of batting at No.4 in ODIs disturbed his attitude and it affected even in Tests (where he has the opening slot for himself!) If there was no IPL he would have got dumped by now (His IPL heroics are giving some hope for the selectors!) Also it is not easy to get ATGs just like that! They have to be made! Rohit & Sachin took many matches to reach that level...
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[MENTION=140806]jnaveen1980[/MENTION] - Its definitely upto the individuals but surely its easier to come in and perform if the team already has a culture of winning and good performances?

RamLakhan - If there was no IPL Rahul would be a test success at the very least, His got enough talent to be in the Indian team if he absolutely had to do it to have any sort of meaningful cricket career.
 
jnaveen1980 said:
one way or the other this thread will be bumped up today after KL Rahul's innings lol
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You are right but its only WI and you would expect players like Babar and Rahul to get the runs against this WI attack more often than not.
 
Pakhs said:
You are right but its only WI and you would expect players like Babar and Rahul to get the runs against this WI attack more often than not.
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Babar and whole pak line up got bounced out. Even today they are trying bouncers.
 
Rahul should play today calmly (against WI) and try to score that 100 instead of getting into any kind of mental-tangle (nobody is really holding sword on his neck and his favorite opening spot at least in this World Cup! He has free wild-card till then!) It is not that difficult, he has to just play normal... These are the kind of matches/innings which can help his confidence grow!
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Babar and whole pak line up got bounced out. Even today they are trying bouncers.
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Yes they did but that was a one off Babar have got enough runs / 100s against and will continue to do so throughout his career unless WI improve. Every now and then opposition will have a good day regardless of their usual standards.
 
There is Actually a Very Nice Article about Babar Struggles in Pakistan System and Culture Posted In Firstpost .
"Pakistan want Babar to be everything, and for that to have happened already. He needs to be an elite Test batsman, a complete limited overs player and everything else. He needs to be Virat Kohli, Kane Williamson, Joe Root and Steven Smith; he needs to be Inzamam, Yousuf, Javed Miandad and Saeed. He needs to be all that at 24. In a country that has rarely produced great batsmen. That hasn’t produced one this century"
Isn't it True?😆
 
jnaveen1980 said:
Babar and whole pak line up got bounced out. Even today they are trying bouncers.
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Babar Wasn't Bounced Out .He Tried To Counter Attack
Which He Does Sometime And played A rash Cut Which Resulted in A Slip Catch.
He Is a very Good player of Short Pitch Bowling .
 
Usman Chadda said:
Yes, conditions are clearly the same. I can finally see why Indian fans think Rahul is at par with Babar.
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Conditions are Different .more Bounce Then Edgbaston.
Little bit of SWING early On and No Seam.Which is Exactly. the Opposite of What we Have Seen Yesterday.
 
Mujtaba2900 said:
Conditions are Different .more Bounce Then Edgbaston.
Little bit of SWING early On and No Seam.Which is Exactly. the Opposite of What we Have Seen Yesterday.
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Sarcasm.

Rahul inevitably fails again. Expect [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] to show up in this thread to support KL Rahul over Babar, just to appear 'different' :yk
 
Who is this rahul? A nobody who has done nothing in his career so far.He really shouldn't be compared to babar.Babar is best young batsman in the world without a shadow of doubt
 
Usman Chadda said:
Sarcasm.

Rahul inevitably fails again. Expect [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] to show up in this thread to support KL Rahul over Babar, just to appear 'different' :yk
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48 is not exactly a failure but a missed opportunity! Rahul is on a different track compared to Babar! Babar should be compared with Kohli... This is smartness on PP where they make wrong comparisons! Rahul (of today) should be compared with Hafeez (of today)!
 
And once again Rahul shows us he is several years older than Babar and several leagues behind
 
It is a no contest in ODIs AFAIC. Close, but still Babar ahead in the other 2 formats IMO. TBH, I don't see KL overtaking Babar at any point of his career.
 
KL Rahul looks very nervous. India should give him more time to open the batting, i’m sure he’ll perform.
 
Rahul is a domestic bully. He’s a nothing player. He shouldn’t be computed to azam. Shouldn’t even be in the indian side
 
Chief Destroyer said:
He has to go back to the basics. The technique and temperament he showed when he first came on to the scene. As he added all the new shots in his repertoire, he lost his foundation.
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Thanks.

Feels like he is trying to play tight but is still getting out.

Its crazy how he hasn't sorted this issue out. Its been over a year and a half I think.
 
Babar Azam and Lokesh Rahul should NOT be mentioned in the same sentence. Babar is on an altogether different planet. Rahul cricketing career is on its last legs.

He will be best remembered for losing his cricketing focus after he began aping Kohli (tattoos, beard, etc etc). Well if tattoos and beard are alone enough to become Kohli then even Lalu Yadav can become the next Kohli.

Lokesh Rahul should try and regain his former self. He was more a player in the Dravid mold with a bit more offensive mindset. His concentration and focus were his biggest asset. He seems to have lost his way after joining the young pranksters in the team and trying to redo his image/persona and adding a bit of a swagger and an 'attitude'. I am sorry, despite the flashes of a promising career that he enticed us with, he seems to be headed in the Vinodl Kambli trajectory.

Some time away from the team and public adulation will do him a world of good. When things come easy some youngsters don't value the chances life accorded them. He would do better on a second coming, after enough introspection and re-discovery of his own self, his game and more importantly his fire and passion for the game.
 
sensible-indian-fan said:
Thanks.

Feels like he is trying to play tight but is still getting out.

Its crazy how he hasn't sorted this issue out. Its been over a year and a half I think.
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He can play tight but it doesn't matter if he's lost his technique. It could be very minute changes but they matter because batting is a game of inches and the ball is coming at 140+.

We don't know if he's been trying to figure this out for a year and a half. Usually, players think that it's just a phase they're going through and they will come out of it.
 
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[MENTION=136107]spiderreddy[/MENTION]

In 8 matches babar azam 474 runs batting average of 67 with strike rate of 87

In 7 matches rahul 241 runs batting average of 41 with strike rate of 73

:broad:srt
 
saeed5646 said:
[MENTION=136107]spiderreddy[/MENTION]

In 8 matches babar azam 474 runs batting average of 67 with strike rate of 87

In 7 matches rahul 241 runs batting average of 41 with strike rate of 73

:broad:srt
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Rahul’s numbers would have been fabulous if it came in the 90’s :D
 
saeed5646 said:
[MENTION=136107]spiderreddy[/MENTION]

In 8 matches babar azam 474 runs batting average of 67 with strike rate of 87

In 7 matches rahul 241 runs batting average of 41 with strike rate of 73

:broad:srt
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Can Babar score 45(70) on a belter of a pitch?
 
BaankeJi said:
Rahul is getting there. But right now Babar is far ahead.
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Oh please. Rahul will not even become half the player Babar is despite being 2 years older. The ship has sailed for him. Dodgy technique and even dodgier temperament. He can continue tonking the Dindas and Binnys in the IPL.
 
We are worried about Rahul right (and we may find his replacement also soon). But I don't know what Pakistanis can feel proud about comparing him with Babar! We have much better batsmen in our arsenal already and the whole batting lineup will be sorted out after the world cup! Babar is the mainstay for them, and he is doing alright for them (maybe he is the only guy who is bit consistent for them! The openers are either inconsistent or not up to modern batting standards! Our regular openers are miles ahead, ATGs of entire cricketing history! Rahul is pressurized getting into this lineup! On the other hand we have crooked politics going on which is resulting in insipid passengers staying in the team which is a different issue!)
 
WengerOut said:
Oh please. Rahul will not even become half the player Babar is despite being 2 years older. The ship has sailed for him. Dodgy technique and even dodgier temperament. He can continue tonking the Dindas and Binnys in the IPL.
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Nothing has sailed for him. Dhawan came back to Indian team at 28. Heck, even Hussey came in his 30’s. He still got time.
 
xbronze said:
Babar Azam and Lokesh Rahul should NOT be mentioned in the same sentence. Babar is on an altogether different planet. Rahul cricketing career is on its last legs.

He will be best remembered for losing his cricketing focus after he began aping Kohli (tattoos, beard, etc etc). Well if tattoos and beard are alone enough to become Kohli then even Lalu Yadav can become the next Kohli.

Lokesh Rahul should try and regain his former self. He was more a player in the Dravid mold with a bit more offensive mindset. His concentration and focus were his biggest asset. He seems to have lost his way after joining the young pranksters in the team and trying to redo his image/persona and adding a bit of a swagger and an 'attitude'. I am sorry, despite the flashes of a promising career that he enticed us with, he seems to be headed in the Vinodl Kambli trajectory.

Some time away from the team and public adulation will do him a world of good. When things come easy some youngsters don't value the chances life accorded them. He would do better on a second coming, after enough introspection and re-discovery of his own self, his game and more importantly his fire and passion for the game.
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If tattoos and beards affected performances, 90% of NBA and NFL guys would be going home. Vinod Kambli was not just good enough for International cricket and he got found out when we travelled outside. Nothing to do with his so-called drinking and partying. Most of the members of legendary Aussie teams drank way more than him.
 
Dingolfy said:
Nothing has sailed for him. Dhawan came back to Indian team at 28. Heck, even Hussey came in his 30’s. He still got time.
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Dhawan had one thing going for him, his mental strength. That you cannot teach. I doubt Rahul will ever gain those. Hussey case is different. He had an ATG team blocking his entry.
 
WengerOut said:
Dhawan had one thing going for him, his mental strength. That you cannot teach. I doubt Rahul will ever gain those. Hussey case is different. He had an ATG team blocking his entry.
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Dude, nobody gets to play in a bloody Indian cricket team without having enormous mental strength because you have to jump through so many hoops to get to it. I have played volleyball and soccer at school level in Kerala and I had to sleep on wooden benches and travel sitting next to the toilets on crowded Indian trains. So I know what it takes to be sportsperson in India.
If Rahul hadn’t got any mental strength, he wont even make Ranji team of a state like Karnataka.
The point is whether he has in it him to make it big or not. Dhawan struggled after his initial U-19 glory days and worked hard to get back into the team. If Rahul can do the same, he can be back in the groove too.
 
WengerOut said:
Oh please. Rahul will not even become half the player Babar is despite being 2 years older. The ship has sailed for him. Dodgy technique and even dodgier temperament. He can continue tonking the Dindas and Binnys in the IPL.
Click to expand...

Rohit was once upon a time much worse than this and was mocked even more here in PP. Now he is being compared to ATGs of cricket! Times can change! At the moment Rahul deserves all the criticism, but comparing him with someone else who is on a different boat/journey is harsh! If Babar had fought for his place in the playing XI, then the story would have been different!
 
Dingolfy said:
Dude, nobody gets to play in a bloody Indian cricket team without having enormous mental strength because you have to jump through so many hoops to get to it. I have played volleyball and soccer at school level in Kerala and I had to sleep on wooden benches and travel sitting next to the toilets on crowded Indian trains. So I know what it takes to be sportsperson in India.
If Rahul hadn’t got any mental strength, he wont even make Ranji team of a state like Karnataka.
The point is whether he has in it him to make it big or not. Dhawan struggled after his initial U-19 glory days and worked hard to get back into the team. If Rahul can do the same, he can be back in the groove too.
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That is news for me. Everyone who has ever played for India was immaculate as far as match temperament is concerned. I have nothing more to add.
 
Babar wins this one comfortably. Babar is 3 times better than Rahul. Rahul's technique is horrible.
 
RamLakhan said:
Rohit was once upon a time much worse than this and was mocked even more here in PP. Now he is being compared to ATGs of cricket! Times can change! At the moment Rahul deserves all the criticism, but comparing him with someone else who is on a different boat/journey is harsh! If Babar had fought for his place in the playing XI, then the story would have been different!
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Rohit was languishing at the lower order positions mostly. Hence his record was poor. Rahul has such an entitlement to play in the top order and he has been allowed that also. Still he is tentative even after passing 50 on a docile track.
 
WengerOut said:
Oh please. Rahul will not even become half the player Babar is despite being 2 years older. The ship has sailed for him. Dodgy technique and even dodgier temperament. He can continue tonking the Dindas and Binnys in the IPL.
Click to expand...

He didn't have the dodgy technique and temperament when he first came into international test cricket existence! His supporters (of today) are actually the fans of his initial self! Technique/Temperament can go wrong even with greater players of the the game (Dravid-the technical wizard was criticized to hell for the same "technique" problems several times in his career whenever he lost his form! Tendulkar also at one time lost his balance & kept getting bowled continuously against ordinary bowlers!) Cricket is actually a "scoring" game and "technique" takes a back step! (Once you start scoring positively it puts pressure on the bowlers and induces bad deliveries to be bowled!) That's why people like Sehwag had more impact and lesser issues of staying in the game (only had problem retaining his place in the side at the fag end of his career when his stock was completely over!) That's why Rahul thought that "scoring" quickly can give more opportunity to prosper in the career! But he overdid that and lost the plot completely!
 
WengerOut said:
Rohit was languishing at the lower order positions mostly. Hence his record was poor. Rahul has such an entitlement to play in the top order and he has been allowed that also. Still he is tentative even after passing 50 on a docile track.
Click to expand...

Can we think of Rahul also the same? Reverse way - He may prosper in the middle order - exactly opposite to Rohit! He has modified his physique, swag, etc, away from traditional opener - Test match style opener! Back then he had normal body like Rahul Dravid and also similar temperament/technique! Now he has added all this additional attributes, power game etc! So he should completely make up his mind that he is no more an opener and should concentrate on middle order batting (even in tests! I think India will prefer Mayank & Shaw for tests from hereon! So Rahul has to make up his mind, he can compete with Rahane, Hanuma in test also which is much easier!) He can utilize his power game, the only thing he should learn is picking the gaps & rotating strike (ones, twos...) which Kohli does (So ape Kohli completely - not just his tattoos & style!) + he has to forget opening + improve his temperament, then he will have a chance to stay in the team!
 
Since talent is much prized here, so going by talent and potential (and not performances and achievements), Rahul still has promise. Hopefully, he will start living up to his potential soon enough. In this world cup, he figured in two century partnerships for opening wicket, including the biggest opening partnership (180) of this world cup. So he is performing adequately which is going under the radar because he is partnering Rohit Sharma who is cornering all the attention.
 
RamLakhan said:
Can we think of Rahul also the same? Reverse way - He may prosper in the middle order - exactly opposite to Rohit! He has modified his physique, swag, etc, away from traditional opener - Test match style opener! Back then he had normal body like Rahul Dravid and also similar temperament/technique! Now he has added all this additional attributes, power game etc! So he should completely make up his mind that he is no more an opener and should concentrate on middle order batting (even in tests! I think India will prefer Mayank & Shaw for tests from hereon! So Rahul has to make up his mind, he can compete with Rahane, Hanuma in test also which is much easier!) He can utilize his power game, the only thing he should learn is picking the gaps & rotating strike (ones, twos...) which Kohli does (So ape Kohli completely - not just his tattoos & style!) + he has to forget opening + improve his temperament, then he will have a chance to stay in the team!
Click to expand...

I believe he has indicated that he wants to play in the top order and most preferably opener. That was why he was selected as backup opener and Rayudu batted at 4.
 
This comparison now has no value left. Babar is an established
world class player with awesome records in ODI and T20Is and is on his way towards establishing himself as batting leader of the Test unit too.

KLR is a backup player in ODIs and Tests and a fixture in playing XI in T20Is only. His recent output is nowhere worth mentioning or comparing with Babar

Rahul had a good start in Test cricket but has faded since then with his technical flaws being exposed. He needs to figure out his Test batting style and understand how to surmount his failings...I think he is on track in ODIs for time being and will become a fixture in a year or so
 
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