Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

[Peshwa]

Funny how comparing Faheem with Pandya is a travesty for Indian fans, based on Faheem's limited success at international level. But the same doesn't apply for a modest international level batsman when compared with one of the best LOI bats in modern cricket.

One of the best LOI bats in modern cricket ...Ook

 

[Usman Chadda]

One of the best LOI bats in modern cricket ...Ook

I guess rankings are only relevant when it comes to India.

 

[giri26]

I think everyone will agree that Rahul is way ahead of Babar at this point in test cricket. Rahul scored his first test century on his first tour to Australia. He has 4 test hundreds and averages 40. He just hasn't received consistent chances to cement his place. In ODI's Babar is way ahead of Rahul at the moment. Even though Rahul has potential, his injuries and some daft cricket in few games cost him his place. In T20's though I rate Rahul very highly. The guy averages 45 at a SR of 146 at the international level. Yes I agree Babar averages 50+ in T20 but his SR is just 127. So I would call it even in T20.

So I would say in the current scenario both of them have to prove a lot and improve as players. In a year or so we will be able to judge them better. Both the players will be on the road and we will know when they get done with this phase.

 

[jani_nasir]

I think everyone will agree that Rahul is way ahead of Babar at this point in test cricket. Rahul scored his first test century on his first tour to Australia. He has 4 test hundreds and averages 40. He just hasn't received consistent chances to cement his place. In ODI's Babar is way ahead of Rahul at the moment. Even though Rahul has potential, his injuries and some daft cricket in few games cost him his place. In T20's though I rate Rahul very highly. The guy averages 45 at a SR of 146 at the international level. Yes I agree Babar averages 50+ in T20 but his SR is just 127. So I would call it even in T20.

So I would say in the current scenario both of them have to prove a lot and improve as players. In a year or so we will be able to judge them better. Both the players will be on the road and we will know when they get done with this phase.

I feel like Baba needs to work on his power hitting , Rahul on his shot selection. Then it would be a better contest

 

[Kohli The King of Chase]

Rahul truly has "some" potential.
But, unless he proves at the highest level I won't take that he's better than Babar(in all formats).

The test is near, let's see how he does on the English tour.

But Rahul should have never been dropped, for these passengers. He's an all round player. Certainly, he has a good chance to make #4 his own. It's just a matter of time, before he starts proving his potential.

 

[Send1983]

LOL. I am from India and don't hold a high opinion on runs scored in IPL. Pant is the biggest example. IPL 'Shoopershtar' but couldn't even buy a run against International sides.

How many games did he play? You came to the conclusiom after seeing a few games. Looks like you have a very little knowledge about cricket.

 

[Dingolfy]

How many games did he play? You came to the conclusiom after seeing a few games. Looks like you have a very little knowledge about cricket.

I have been following even his A tours, bhaijan.Absolute pathetic even there.And everybody on this forum are keyboard experts.So don't flatter yourselves.

 

[Belawal2014]

I like KL Rahul.

 

[Send1983]

I have been following even his A tours, bhaijan.Absolute pathetic even there.And everybody on this forum are keyboard experts.So don't flatter yourselves.

So he is not talented and good enough and not as good or better than players like Manish and Kedar. Ok. I got it.

 

[Bilal7]

Rahul is a good IPL player. Babar Azam is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

 

[Peshwa]

U ppl use n number of filters to judge Indias Test and Odi Ranking and wen it comes to pakistan u start ur usual rona dhona

 

[Peshwa]

Rahul is a good IPL player. Babar Azam is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Across format ??? R u kidding me
U Really think he is one of the best batsmen in Test

 

[Mr.Q]

We know how good Rahul is in T20s. He’s one of the best T20 batsmen India has produced. But he needs to prove himself as a top order batsman in the other two formats. This thread would have a meaning only then. I’m saying this knowing very well how good Rahul is. You can’t raise an argument based on someone’s potential. Only performances count.

Babar too is very talented. But he should never be the benchmark to rate a batsman. At least in the current scenario. He’s what Pakistan needs him to be. A reliable top order batsman. There’s nothing special about most of his performances. It’s understandable why a Pakistani calls him one of the best batsmen in the modern era of cricket. They haven’t seen many batsmen. But people who have seen far better batsmen may disagree.

 

[Rahul1]

We know how good Rahul is in T20s. He’s one of the best T20 batsmen India has produced. But he needs to prove himself as a top order batsman in the other two formats. This thread would have a meaning only then. I’m saying this knowing very well how good Rahul is. You can’t raise an argument based on someone’s potential. Only performances count.

Babar too is very talented. But he should never be the benchmark to rate a batsman. At least in the current scenario. He’s what Pakistan needs him to be. A reliable top order batsman. There’s nothing special about most of his performances. It’s understandable why a Pakistani calls him one of the best batsmen in the modern era of cricket. They haven’t seen many batsmen. But people who have seen far better batsmen may disagree.

Rahul has proven himself in test cricket. He has hundreds in Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Plus a 199 against England at home and was also India's best batsman in probably the toughest series India has played at home in the last 2-3 years.

Babar has done nothing in any format that justifies the unreal hype around him.

 

[Mr.Q]

Rahul has proven himself in test cricket. He has hundreds in Australia, Sri Lanka and West Indies. Plus a 199 against England at home and was also India's best batsman in probably the toughest series India has played at home in the last 2-3 years.

Babar has done nothing in any format that justifies the unreal hype around him.

Yeah but you gotta be consistent. He got 4 chances to bat in South Africa but did nothing. He couldn’t perform during that SL series as well. So there are some issues. He’s better than Babar in tests but that means nothing.

 

[Dingolfy]

So he is not talented and good enough and not as good or better than players like Manish and Kedar. Ok. I got it.

Dude, no matter how much 'tailunt' you got, you need to show that in international matches when you play.For all the blame they get, both Kedar and Manish have centuries against quality opposition.Let Pant middle the ball without struggling in an international match first and then we will talk about how good is he.

 

[Dingolfy]

Yeah but you gotta be consistent. He got 4 chances to bat in South Africa but did nothing. He couldn’t perform during that SL series as well. So there are some issues. He’s better than Babar in tests but that means nothing.

This.You can have all 'tailunt' in paper but you got to show in the field.Unfortunately(for Indian fans) in ODIs, Babar has been more consistent than Rahul. Till he rectifies that, he would remain under Babar in ODIs.

 

[RamLakhan]

Yeah but you gotta be consistent. He got 4 chances to bat in South Africa but did nothing. He couldn’t perform during that SL series as well. So there are some issues. He’s better than Babar in tests but that means nothing.

There is something called form factor. Even Kohli is criticized for his records in England. Hence he is so serious about it. It is not about the ability. Also please keep in mind that he is yet to cement his position in the side (has to compete with mighty Rohit! Though I agree that he has some mental issues. He is a natural opener, so he has got confused about the role in the No.4 spot. He is somewhat successful in Tests because there are not much competitors there)

Now this looks a dream Top 3 batting lineup (Rahul, Dhawan & Kohli) the most brutal after (Greenidge/Haynes/Lara) & (Hayden/Gilchrist/Ponting). But I guess Shastri & management will have other ideas and will still persist with Rohit, Pandey & co. Rohit has to gracefully drop down himself to No.4 as he does for MI.

 

[RamLakhan]

This.You can have all 'tailunt' in paper but you got to show in the field.Unfortunately(for Indian fans) in ODIs, Babar has been more consistent than Rahul. Till he rectifies that, he would remain under Babar in ODIs.

Well relax... Babar is playing for one of the weakest batting lineup in the world ever. (You can point out the CT Triumph as much, as longer as possible, and we can also remind you about the so-called useless bowling lineup which mauled in all the proper world-cup encounters so far!) Babar doesn't have that additional "personal" pressure. Cricket is not just a team/patriotic game (as we discuss for India vs. Pakistan battles, or player comparisons between these two teams. Actually Indians have moved ahead of this, but Pakistanis are still living in...) players have to plan their career & utilize the opportunities they get & work out a way to compete at personal level. Just bleeding & saying "I want to play for national side" patriotism will not take them forward (perhaps that can work out in a weaker team when everyone looks at you! KXI Punjab also did that!)

It will take some time (more time if there are more obstacles), but it will happen some day. And then it becomes as ridiculous as Kohli vs. Umar comparison (Where is he now?) Let's wait...

 

[Usman Chadda]

U ppl use n number of filters to judge Indias Test and Odi Ranking and wen it comes to pakistan u start ur usual rona dhona

Likewise for Indian fans. Faheem-Pandya comparisons infuriates you, while you go and end up comparing Rahul to Babar, who is some way ahead of him specially in the LOI formats.

 

[Savage]

Well relax... Babar is playing for one of the weakest batting lineup in the world ever. (You can point out the CT Triumph as much, as longer as possible, and we can also remind you about the so-called useless bowling lineup which mauled in all the proper world-cup encounters so far!) Babar doesn't have that additional "personal" pressure. Cricket is not just a team/patriotic game (as we discuss for India vs. Pakistan battles, or player comparisons between these two teams. Actually Indians have moved ahead of this, but Pakistanis are still living in...) players have to plan their career & utilize the opportunities they get & work out a way to compete at personal level. Just bleeding & saying "I want to play for national side" patriotism will not take them forward (perhaps that can work out in a weaker team when everyone looks at you! KXI Punjab also did that!)

It will take some time (more time if there are more obstacles), but it will happen some day. And then it becomes as ridiculous as Kohli vs. Umar comparison (Where is he now?) Let's wait...

Well that's exactly the point that [MENTION=145842]Dingolfy[/MENTION] is trying to make.He doesn't mean that Rahul will always remain inferior player to Babar.Rahul might even become Greatest ODI batsmen of all time for all I Care.But if Rahul doesn't perform in Limited overs cricket with consistency,Babar will always be rated higher than Rahul.

 

[Mr.Q]

There is something called form factor. Even Kohli is criticized for his records in England. Hence he is so serious about it. It is not about the ability. Also please keep in mind that he is yet to cement his position in the side (has to compete with mighty Rohit! Though I agree that he has some mental issues. He is a natural opener, so he has got confused about the role in the No.4 spot. He is somewhat successful in Tests because there are not much competitors there)

Now this looks a dream Top 3 batting lineup (Rahul, Dhawan & Kohli) the most brutal after (Greenidge/Haynes/Lara) & (Hayden/Gilchrist/Ponting). But I guess Shastri & management will have other ideas and will still persist with Rohit, Pandey & co. Rohit has to gracefully drop down himself to No.4 as he does for MI.

Nobody is questioning his ability here. I know that he’s more talented than Babar. But I can’t use that opinion of mine as an argument if I don’t have the data to support it. He has to perform. I don’t think there’s a bias against someone like Rahul. It’s just that players like Rohit get an extra push from behind because of certain reasons.

Anyways, Rahul has been included in the ODI and T20 squads for the England series. Pandey won’t steal his place in the XI. Rahul has a point to prove and he’s going to get opportunities to do so. Let’s hope he will.

 

[Rahul1]

Likewise for Indian fans. Faheem-Pandya comparisons infuriates you, while you go and end up comparing Rahul to Babar, who is some way ahead of him specially in the LOI formats.

Babar is not ahead of Rahul in any format. Ok, maybe barely in ODIs but it is only a matter of Rahul getting consistent chances in ODIs.

 

[Rahul1]

Likewise for Indian fans. Faheem-Pandya comparisons infuriates you, while you go and end up comparing Rahul to Babar, who is some way ahead of him specially in the LOI formats.

Regarding the fahim panday debate, I do think that Pandaya is a little overrated. But, I have never heard of this faheem guy before, seriously, who is this guy? By default, Pandaya is better than fahim.

 

[Peshwa]

Likewise for Indian fans. Faheem-Pandya comparisons infuriates you, while you go and end up comparing Rahul to Babar, who is some way ahead of him specially in the LOI formats.

Infuriate really? ?
Faheem Pandya comparison itself is a joke
Faheem is absolute nobody..

 

[Peshwa]

Dude, no matter how much 'tailunt' you got, you need to show that in international matches when you play.For all the blame they get, both Kedar and Manish have centuries against quality opposition.Let Pant middle the ball without struggling in an international match first and then we will talk about how good is he.

Well said
And i hope ths Apply to Faheem Ashraf as well..Pakistanis hyping him like ther is no tomorrow

 

[Bilal7]

Across format ??? R u kidding me
U Really think he is one of the best batsmen in Test

Across formats does not mean 'in every format'. He's a decent test player but an excellent ODI and T20 player.

 

[Someone]

Babar is just a inferior version of KL.. Pakistan team will beg for a player like KL..

 

[Swashbuckler]

KL Rahul is the greatest batting talent from India since Sachin, IMO he is a league above Kohli. But team politics/Kumble-Kohli fallout and him being a South Indian is holding him back. Under Kohli I see no future for South Indian players. Even Karun Nair who scored a 300 was dropped after a couple of bad matches, imagine a Punjab/Delhi/Mumbai player getting such treatment !!!! Indian cricket has become unwatchable for me in the recent past because it looks like a cosy buddies club with a signboard saying 'No Southies allowed'. Even Ashwin's end is near, some of our greatest players have been from South so it will be odd to see future Indian teams with not a single spot for them.

 

[RamLakhan]

IPL is played at a very competitive level (probably most competitive than any world cricket). You cannot just undermine the performances here. If players are not replicating the same in international cricket it also has to do with their mental game (pressure of capitalizing in the limited opportunities, the competition of just 11 players being picked in contrast to 8X7 in IPL, etc) Surely you can't call someone's ability as fake/fluke if you find it in IPL, but they may not transform that in international cricket which is a different issue. You might have said that few years back when guys like Sunil Joshi, Wasim Jaffer were playing it. But now with proper regular foreign players playing throughout and emerging local Indian talents, this is definitely competitive and also there is added pressure on players from the franchisees (the finance), their chance to showcase the talent (chance of getting picked for the national team), plus it is not a bilateral series, its like World ODI cup, World T20 Cup, they want to win something significant! It is going get even more competitive in coming years (Murali Vijay is already sitting out, so will be guys like Rahane, etc in future) So its not like Binny & co who performs against Bangladesh, but is not up there later on...

 

[Usman Chadda]

Babar is not ahead of Rahul in any format. Ok, maybe barely in ODIs but it is only a matter of Rahul getting consistent chances in ODIs.

How is the number ranked T20 batsman in the world not better than this Rahul guy? ODIs is a stomp for Babar. Tests, Rahul takes it.

Also, how does Rahul not make it into a poor Indian middle-order? Surely anyone who struggles to do that shouldn't be taken seriously?

 

[Someone]

Babar is just a selfish batsman like selfie against quality oppositions.. people will realize it soon..

 

[Swashbuckler]

How is the number ranked T20 batsman in the world not better than this Rahul guy? ODIs is a stomp for Babar. Tests, Rahul takes it.

Also, how does Rahul not make it into a poor Indian middle-order? Surely anyone who struggles to do that shouldn't be taken seriously?

Team politics, Rahul is from the wrong state and also happens to be a threat to Kohli's brand.

 

[Rahul1]

How is the number ranked T20 batsman in the world not better than this Rahul guy? ODIs is a stomp for Babar. Tests, Rahul takes it.

Also, how does Rahul not make it into a poor Indian middle-order? Surely anyone who struggles to do that shouldn't be taken seriously?

I just checked the T20I batting ranking since you and many other babar fans are boasting about it all time time.
And this is what I found -

https://www.icc-cricket.com/rankings/mens/player-rankings/t20i/batting

If you seriously believe that Babar is a better T-20 batsman than the likes of Munro, Maxwell, Finch, Hales, Kohli etc than I really don't know what to say..

Regarding the second part, there is only one reason why - Virat Kohli.

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Rahul indeed is a special talent but those who clamour over him are literally using the same argument that PAK fans use when arguing Amir is a better bowler than Bumrah - an argument based on hypothetical 'ceilings' and the pedigree of their respective nation. Amir comes from a bowling nation therefore PAK fans have a better eye for bowlers just like KL comes from a batting nation and vice versa.

Whatever the argument, the discrepancy in records between both sets of players can't be understated. Impact only really comes into the equation when both players have very equal statistics. As of now, both cricketers need to play a lot more to conclude this comparison.

And lmao at the KL - Tendulkar - Kohli comparisons . Talk about hyperbole.
Kohli plays innings like the one KL played today for fun , that too on the international arena all around the world.

 

[Peshwa]

Across formats does not mean 'in every format'. He's a decent test player but an excellent ODI and T20 player.

So what u mean when u said 'across format'
And babar is not even decent in test

 

[Adijazz1706]

IPL is played at a very competitive level (probably most competitive than any world cricket). You cannot just undermine the performances here. If players are not replicating the same in international cricket it also has to do with their mental game (pressure of capitalizing in the limited opportunities, the competition of just 11 players being picked in contrast to 8X7 in IPL, etc) Surely you can't call someone's ability as fake/fluke if you find it in IPL, but they may not transform that in international cricket which is a different issue. You might have said that few years back when guys like Sunil Joshi, Wasim Jaffer were playing it. But now with proper regular foreign players playing throughout and emerging local Indian talents, this is definitely competitive and also there is added pressure on players from the franchisees (the finance), their chance to showcase the talent (chance of getting picked for the national team), plus it is not a bilateral series, its like World ODI cup, World T20 Cup, they want to win something significant! It is going get even more competitive in coming years (Murali Vijay is already sitting out, so will be guys like Rahane, etc in future) So its not like Binny & co who performs against Bangladesh, but is not up there later on...

It's just that Pant who's top 3 in the runcharts looked atrocious against Bangladesh and SL of all teams

 

[jusarrived]

For that , he need to get Rohit out of the team.Opening is his position and we are wasting that position with so-called Hitman who can only score on pattas. Add a tinge of movement, dude is absolutely hopeless. Should never be playing in our LOI team when we have so many batsmen in waiting.

I would play parthiv Patel ahead of Rohit Sharma , just for showing better intent . That's how much I rate Sharma .He's 50 percent of Indian teams problem

 

[Send1983]

I would play parthiv Patel ahead of Rohit Sharma , just for showing better intent . That's how much I rate Sharma .He's 50 percent of Indian teams problem

I used to be a big fan of Rohit. But I agree with you. He needs to play as a middle order or get out of the team.

 

[Sachin136]

I would play parthiv Patel ahead of Rohit Sharma , just for showing better intent . That's how much I rate Sharma .He's 50 percent of Indian teams problem

I used to be a big fan of Rohit. But I agree with you. He needs to play as a middle order or get out of the team.

Thankfully Kohli is not going to make such a stupid decision. Rohit is the best ODI opener in the world who averages over 50 while opening. Rahul can play in the middle order or not be in the team.

 

[jusarrived]

Do ppers honestly think Babar would play ahead of Warner , Dhawan , Virat , Buttler , root , Smith , Williamson , AB etc in either of LOI formats ?

 

[Send1983]

Do ppers honestly think Babar would play ahead of Warner , Dhawan , Virat , Buttler , root , Smith , Williamson , AB etc in either of LOI formats ?

Do you think they would say no? Many here seriously believe Babar is better than those players mentioned in t20.

 

[Rahul1]

Do ppers honestly think Babar would play ahead of Warner , Dhawan , Virat , Buttler , root , Smith , Williamson , AB etc in either of LOI formats ?

Some babar fans would have babar ahead of even Viv, Sachin, Ponting and Gilchrist.

 

[RamLakhan]

If Babar or someone else had the same run of form/show in grand PSL, imagine what would have been the response here... Gavaskar & other commentators on Television are not foolish to call Rahul as next best thing in World Cricket (Its not just the scores/numbers he has put up, it is the way he has done it) Otherwise people would have gone gaga at even Suryakumar, Rayudu, etc, who have scored similar number of runs.

 

[Syed1]

If Babar or someone else had the same run of form/show in grand PSL, imagine what would have been the response here... Gavaskar & other commentators on Television are not foolish to call Rahul as next best thing in World Cricket (Its not just the scores/numbers he has put up, it is the way he has done it) Otherwise people would have gone gaga at even Suryakumar, Rayudu, etc, who have scored similar number of runs.

Wait what..... are you forgetting the fact that Babar Azam averages 51@85 in ODIs after touring Eng, Aus, NZ amongst others. He also averages 53@128 in T20s has I believe the lowest dot ball percentage in the world in the last few years and is ranked as the best T20 batsman today.



What have been Rahul's achievements other than smashing a few trundlers in IPL. Nobody will rate this "next big thing" unless he does something in international cricket.




It is an established fact that Babar wipes the floor with Rahul at the moment. It may change in the future but nobody can predict the future. Also don't forget Rahul is 2 years older than Babar and is already 26 and hasn't cemented his spot in any format, while Babar is a regular in all three.


It is an Indian fantasy that Rahul is better than Babar. I know truth hurts and specially for small people who are unable to handle it.

 

[RamLakhan]

And lmao at the KL - Tendulkar - Kohli comparisons . Talk about hyperbole.
Kohli plays innings like the one KL played today for fun , that too on the international arena all around the world.

Even I don't support that comparison, but I think that is coming out as exaggeration to support a budding talent. Even Kohli & Tendulkar went through that phase. It is not that everything falls in place at will all of a sudden. Each players are different and have their own uniqueness...

Even Kohli is ridiculed in comparison to Vivian (guts of playing in that era!) So different people get different kind of appreciation & criticism.

 

[Syed1]

Some babar fans would have babar ahead of even Viv, Sachin, Ponting and Gilchrist.

That's only in your mind.... you are letting your insecurities show

 

[Syed1]

Do ppers honestly think Babar would play ahead of Warner , Dhawan , Virat , Buttler , root , Smith , Williamson , AB etc in either of LOI formats ?

This thread is comparison with KL Rahul and not all those batsmen, unless you are suggesting Rahul is fit to sit alongside those batsman?



Also even if you don't rate Babar it doesn't change the fact that he is the top ranked T20 batsman and averages over 50 in both ODIs and T20s.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Kohli has to share lot of blame for Rahul's stunted growth in his career. Worst rumors are circulating. There is no way Pandey is better than Rahul unless pandey is only there for fielding. He will be on par with Kohli very soon once he finds his groove. He after all made 8 test fifties in a row. He was in top 10 ICC ranking in the one dayers. Yet he kept being dropped.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Do ppers honestly think Babar would play ahead of Warner , Dhawan , Virat , Buttler , root , Smith , Williamson , AB etc in either of LOI formats ?

Is Babar being compared to any of these gentlemen in this thread?

Also I love the fact that Indian fans are questioning Babar's T20 ranking. All hell will break loose if I open a thread which rightfully says South Africa is a better Test team than India right now

 

[RamLakhan]

Wait what..... are you forgetting the fact that Babar Azam averages 51@85 in ODIs after touring Eng, Aus, NZ amongst others. He also averages 53@128 in T20s has I believe the lowest dot ball percentage in the world in the last few years and is ranked as the best T20 batsman today.



What have been Rahul's achievements other than smashing a few trundlers in IPL. Nobody will rate this "next big thing" unless he does something in international cricket.




It is an established fact that Babar wipes the floor with Rahul at the moment. It may change in the future but nobody can predict the future. Also don't forget Rahul is 2 years older than Babar and is already 26 and hasn't cemented his spot in any format, while Babar is a regular in all three.


It is an Indian fantasy that Rahul is better than Babar. I know truth hurts and specially for small people who are unable to handle it.

Well you are not getting the facts about the difficulty of getting into Indian playing XI and the competition. Indian team is now comparable to Australian team of 2000s (not exactly in terms of "domination" before you start shouting). They won't blood young guys into the team straight away (that's why even Pant is made to wait), they will undergo professional treatment/shape-up before that. Probably this would have applied to even Sachin Tendulkar if he belonged to this era! In that way it would have helped Sachin actually (he would not had to wait for several matches to get his first ODI hundred and getting wasted in the middle order!) I know he is special, but...

You may call whatever that Indian middle order is weak, etc, blah blah... Even I thought like that, but if you go deep they have a model on which they are working... (Even I was surprised at how Dinesh Kartik is playing!) Indian middle order actually looks weak because they have such a good top order! (And for the way they have played cricket for last decade) Talking about weakness, even the dominating Australia of 00s had some weakness (their spin play in India!)

Pakistan are lagging behind (thinking like Indian team/management of 90s Era, Sachin era! Hence Babar has to be compared with Sachin and not Kohli or Rahul! And you know how he may fall down at that! Though Sachin started slowly he became a monster later on. Good luck to Babar at that). Indian team is now looking to construct right individuals/roles for the right team rather than going behind individuals, though it looks frustrating for people like me.

 

[jnaveen1980]

KL Rahul coming good is very good for world cricket. HE is such a wonderful player to watch. A true 360 degree stroke player. Some of his sixes are outrageous. Like all good players he has multiple shots against same kind of deliveries. In terms of stats he has to prove a lot. Hope he justifies his immense talent. Very level-headed as well.

 

[Syed1]

Well you are not getting the facts about the difficulty of getting into Indian playing XI and the competition. Indian team is now comparable to Australian team of 2000s (not exactly in terms of "domination" before you start shouting). They won't blood young guys into the team straight away (that's why even Pant is made to wait), they will undergo professional treatment/shape-up before that. Probably this would have applied to even Sachin Tendulkar if he belonged to this era! In that way it would have helped Sachin actually (he would not had to wait for several matches to get his first ODI hundred and getting wasted in the middle order!) I know he is special, but...

You may call whatever that Indian middle order is weak, etc, blah blah... Even I thought like that, but if you go deep they have a model on which they are working... (Even I was surprised at how Dinesh Kartik is playing!) Indian middle order actually looks weak because they have such a good top order! (And for the way they have played cricket for last decade) Talking about weakness, even the dominating Australia of 00s had some weakness (their spin play in India!)

Pakistan are lagging behind (thinking like Indian team/management of 90s Era, Sachin era! Hence Babar has to be compared with Sachin and not Kohli or Rahul! And you know how he may fall down at that! Though Sachin started slowly he became a monster later on. Good luck to Babar at that). Indian team is now looking to construct right individuals/roles for the right team rather than going behind individuals, though it looks frustrating for people like me. That's why I see it as stupidity in the first place to have this comparisons like Babar vs. Rahul, Kohli vs. Umar, etc, on PP (normally its Pakistanis who start this). Because they are prospering in their own way under different nurturing module...

Indian team is so hard to get into that when you do you average 35 in ODIs just like KL Rahul does... )


Indian fans logic:

Team is so hard to get into that is why KL Rahul is highly mediocre in international cricket and can only smash trundlers in IPL

 

[Usman Chadda]

"Indian team is now comparable to the Australian team of 2000s"

Oh dear. The arrogance is touching insanity levels now ) )

 

[Syed1]

"Indian team is now comparable to the Australian team of 2000s"

Oh dear. The arrogance is touching insanity levels now ) )

He put disclaimer though "not in terms of dominance" ) ) )

 

[jusarrived]

Is Babar being compared to any of these gentlemen in this thread?

Also I love the fact that Indian fans are questioning Babar's T20 ranking. All hell will break loose if I open a thread which rightfully says South Africa is a better Test team than India right now

This thread is comparison with KL Rahul and not all those batsmen, unless you are suggesting Rahul is fit to sit alongside those batsman?



Also even if you don't rate Babar it doesn't change the fact that he is the top ranked T20 batsman and averages over 50 in both ODIs and T20s.

The argument of Babar being better than KL in LOIs is based on rankings , so that also means hes better than every other batsmen currently . The ranking also puts Hamilton Masakadza and Shahzad ( Afg ) in Top 10 , so if I make a thread on Masakadza vs AB am guessing most of you will pick AB over him

 

[Syed1]

The argument of Babar being better than KL in LOIs is based on rankings , so that also means hes better than every other batsmen currently . The ranking also puts Hamilton Masakadza and Shahzad ( Afg ) in Top 10 , so if I make a thread on Masakadza vs AB am guessing most of you will pick AB over him

Its not solely based on rankings. Go and have a look at Babar's numbers and KL Rahul's numbers and set aside your nationalistic pride for a second. Rahul isn't even fit to tie Babar's shoes at the moment.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The argument of Babar being better than KL in LOIs is based on rankings , so that also means hes better than every other batsmen currently . The ranking also puts Hamilton Masakadza and Shahzad ( Afg ) in Top 10 , so if I make a thread on Masakadza vs AB am guessing most of you will pick AB over him

Masakadza and Shahzad play associate nations. Babar plays for the Pakistan international cricket team, which is a top tier cricketing nation. I'm not sure how some of these facts are flying over your head. At this point of time, Babar is an established international class batsman. Rahul cannot even find a place in the Indian team, which has one of the worst middle-orders in world cricket at the moment.

 

[Rahul1]

Wait what..... are you forgetting the fact that Babar Azam averages 51@85 in ODIs after touring Eng, Aus, NZ amongst others. He also averages 53@128 in T20s has I believe the lowest dot ball percentage in the world in the last few years and is ranked as the best T20 batsman today.



What have been Rahul's achievements other than smashing a few trundlers in IPL. Nobody will rate this "next big thing" unless he does something in international cricket.




It is an established fact that Babar wipes the floor with Rahul at the moment. It may change in the future but nobody can predict the future. Also don't forget Rahul is 2 years older than Babar and is already 26 and hasn't cemented his spot in any format, while Babar is a regular in all three.


It is an Indian fantasy that Rahul is better than Babar. I know truth hurts and specially for small people who are unable to handle it.

Do tell us the record of babar in ODIs excluding SL and WI, two teams which are essentially minnows these days. If i am not wrong nearly 50 % of his odi runs have come against these two teams. What is so special in that?

In t-20s, do you seriously believe that babar is better than the likes of Munro, Kohli, Finch etc?

In tests, babar with with his pathetic average of 25 doesn't even deserve to be talked about.

How is this a established fact that babar wipes the floor with Rahul?

 

[Rahul1]

"Indian team is now comparable to the Australian team of 2000s"

Oh dear. The arrogance is touching insanity levels now ) )

That actual arrogance is a fan of 7th ranked minnow having the audacity to laugh at number 1 ranked team.

 

[Usman Chadda]

That actual arrogance is a fan of 7th ranked minnow having the audacity to laugh at number 1 ranked team.

Yeah, this 'minnow' recently beat the living daylights out of KL Rahul's idols in one of the biggest matches of their careers. Or is Test cricket the only relevant format nowadays for Indian fans?

 

[jusarrived]

Its not solely based on rankings. Go and have a look at Babar's numbers and KL Rahul's numbers and set aside your nationalistic pride for a second. Rahul isn't even fit to tie Babar's shoes at the moment.

Am not a stats man , but these are Rayudu's stats and no one rates him

30 matches 1055 Runs 50.24 Avg

Same with Rohit Sharma , great stats ..hes got 2 (or 3 ) double hundreds in ODIs and the fastest T20 100 by an Indian , but if you check above I have clearly stated how dont rate him one bit .

Got nothing to do with nationality , I just dont rate players who score "soft" runs only ,especially top order players whos stats are deceptive .

 

[RamLakhan]

You can imagine the free-ness at which Rahul can bat if he gets selected in Pakistan team! Once he is selected I am sure he won't get dropped till 48 years

But I am sure Rahul will rather toil hard to find a place in Indian team become a part of victory rather than piling record runs and getting satisfied in Pakistan or Kings XI team! says how he felt before 02/04/11 and after that!

I am being outrageous just because there is such thing like "X" Indian player vs. "Y" Pakistan player. This results in unnecessary trolling, rather than trying to find strengths & weaknesses in these players...

 

[Rahul1]

Yeah, this 'minnow' recently beat the living daylights out of KL Rahul's idols in one of the biggest matches of their careers. Or is Test cricket the only relevant format nowadays for Indian fans?

All right. So a 6th ranked minnow having the audacity to laugh at the 2nd best team in the world. Not much better I suppose.

 

[jnaveen1980]

No point in arguing about their stats. Babar is well ahead. KL Rahul lost atleast one or two years thanks to Kohli. Once KL Rahul starts finding his groove we will find this comparison is not apt. Both are different type of players. Babar is a bit like Amla. Rahul is a bit like ABDV in terms of approaching the game. An innings builder vs Someone who plays 360 degrees and takes the attack by the scruff of its neck. Lot of his runs came under difficult situations. The 90 againts AUstralia where India imploded was a special knock.

 

[Syed1]

Do tell us the record of babar in ODIs excluding SL and WI, two teams which are essentially minnows these days. If i am not wrong nearly 50 % of his odi runs have come against these two teams. What is so special in that?

In t-20s, do you seriously believe that babar is better than the likes of Munro, Kohli, Finch etc?

In tests, babar with with his pathetic average of 25 doesn't even deserve to be talked about.

How is this a established fact that babar wipes the floor with Rahul?

Babar in ODIs:

vs Aus : 56@82
vs Eng: 38@89
vs Ind: 27@85
vs NZ: 25@77
vs SA: no average (1 innings of 31 not out)
vs SL: 58@75
vs WI: 102@95
vs ZI: 54@90

KL Rahul in ODIs:

vs Eng: 8@70
vs SL: 9@74
vs ZI: 196@83 ) )



KL Rahul is lucky he played against ZIM otherwise he would be averaging in the single digits in ODIs at the moment.



As I said Babar Azam wipes the floor with gully mohallah level KL Rahul

 

[RamLakhan]

Yeah, this 'minnow' recently beat the living daylights out of KL Rahul's idols in one of the biggest matches of their careers. Or is Test cricket the only relevant format nowadays for Indian fans?

You didn't even arrive at that biggest match (CT Finals) which they had already accomplished before! Save the same luck for next turnarounds! We witnessed even bigger matches and expecting further!

 

[jusarrived]

Masakadza and Shahzad play associate nations. Babar plays for the Pakistan international cricket team, which is a top tier cricketing nation. I'm not sure how some of these facts are flying over your head. At this point of time, Babar is an established international class batsman. Rahul cannot even find a place in the Indian team, which has one of the worst middle-orders in world cricket at the moment.

Babar is yet to play one quality innings , all of his runs have come against WI in both formats , so lets not talk about quality of opposition .

 

[Rahul1]

Babar in ODIs:

vs Aus : 56@82
vs Eng: 38@89
vs Ind: 27@85
vs NZ: 25@77
vs SA: no average (1 innings of 31 not out)
vs SL: 58@75
vs WI: 102@95
vs ZI: 54@90

KL Rahul in ODIs:

vs Eng: 8@70
vs SL: 9@74
vs ZI: 196@83 ) )



KL Rahul is lucky he played against ZIM otherwise he would be averaging in the single digits in ODIs at the moment.



As I said Babar Azam wipes the floor with gully mohallah level KL Rahul

It seems like you have some comprehension issues. I asked for Babar's record excluding sl and wi. Not his entire career summary.

Against sl and wi - 78.54

Excluding them - 38.54

Difference of exactly 40. What a legend.

And predictably, no comments on the test and t-20 posts.

 

[Syed1]

It seems like you have some comprehension issues. I asked for Babar's record excluding sl and wi. Not his entire career summary.

Against sl and wi - 78.54

Excluding them - 38.54

Difference of exactly 40. What a legend.

And predictably, no comments on the test and t-20 posts.

Babar's average of 38 is still miles better than KL Rahul who has average (excluding minnows) of 8 and Sr of 70 ) ) )


That is a difference of 30 runs every innings

 

[Syed1]

I think KL Rahul is himself is posting under the name of [MENTION=146727]Rahul1[/MENTION]..... no sane individual will think some unknown minnow basher in IPL is better than Babar Azam


[MENTION=1650]Usman Chadda[/MENTION]

 

[Rahul1]

Babar's average of 38 is still miles better than KL Rahul who has average (excluding minnows) of 8 and Sr of 70 ) ) )


That is a difference of 30 runs every innings

Predictably, still no comments on the posts about test and t-20s.

 

[Rahul1]

I think KL Rahul is himself is posting under the name of [MENTION=146727]Rahul1[/MENTION]..... no sane individual will think some unknown minnow basher in IPL is better than Babar Azam


[MENTION=1650]Usman Chadda[/MENTION]

Who is babar azam? The same babar who averages a pathetic 24 in tests?

 

[Swashbuckler]

PPers who are mocking Rahul here have no idea about Indian team politics and amount of damage Kohli has done to the youngster's career. Rahul has 100s in his 1st test tours to Sri Lanka, Australia and Windies, displayed the highest quality of batting in the 2017 Australia homes series (same series where FTB King Kohli aggregated 40 runs in 3 tests). 100s in all 3 formats, yet has to warm the benches while hacks play for our main XI. His faults: he is South Indian, supported Kumble and a bigger potential brand name than ego maniac Kohli.

 

[Rahul1]

PPers who are mocking Rahul here have no idea about Indian team politics and amount of damage Kohli has done to the youngster's career. Rahul has 100s in his 1st test tours to Sri Lanka, Australia and Windies, displayed the highest quality of batting in the 2017 Australia homes series (same series where FTB King Kohli aggregated 40 runs in 3 tests). 100s in all 3 formats, yet has to warm the benches while hacks play for our main XI. His faults: he is South Indian, supported Kumble and a bigger potential brand name than ego maniac Kohli.

Fully agreed to every single word you said. Kohli needs to set his ego aside for the sake of the team.

 

[Syed1]

Predictably, still no comments on the posts about test and t-20s.

Tests I agree he has not performed upto standards - which is about to change.


As per your request:

Babar in T20s:

vs England: no average (1 innings of 15 not out)
vs NZ: 55@126
vs SL: 18@88
vs WI: 58@126


KL Rahul in T20s:

vs BD: 24@171
vs Eng: 34@137
vs SL: 39@139
vs WI: no average (1 innings of 110 not out)
vs ZIM: 35@113


)



This is getting from bad to worse for KL Rahul. Now imagine what will happen to both players averages if I remove SL and WI from the record.

 

[rhony]

PPers who are mocking Rahul here have no idea about Indian team politics and amount of damage Kohli has done to the youngster's career. Rahul has 100s in his 1st test tours to Sri Lanka, Australia and Windies, displayed the highest quality of batting in the 2017 Australia homes series (same series where FTB King Kohli aggregated 40 runs in 3 tests). 100s in all 3 formats, yet has to warm the benches while hacks play for our main XI. His faults: he is South Indian, supported Kumble and a bigger potential brand name than ego maniac Kohli.

Rahul flopped in the ODIs and hence was dropped. But it's interesting to see that Kohli is against Rahul because of Kumble.

 

[Rahul1]

Tests I agree he has not performed upto standards - which is about to change.


As per your request:

Babar in T20s:

vs England: no average (1 innings of 15 not out)
vs NZ: 55@126
vs SL: 18@88
vs WI: 58@126


KL Rahul in T20s:

vs BD: 24@171
vs Eng: 34@137
vs SL: 39@139
vs WI: no average (1 innings of 110 not out)
vs ZIM: 35@113


)



This is getting from bad to worse for KL Rahul. Now imagine what will happen to both players averages if I remove SL and WI from the record.

I was referring to post #939 but obviously you have much comprehension issues to realize that. I said that since you're boasting about babar's t-20 ranking so much, do you admit that Babar is better than Munro, Finch and Kohli etc?

 

[Syed1]

I was referring to post #939 but obviously you have much comprehension issues to realize that. I said that since you're boasting about babar's t-20 ranking so much, do you admit that Babar is better than Munro, Finch and Kohli etc?

You have absolutely no argument... you keep changing the goal posts. You were harping that Babar benefits from smashing minnows but then I showed that KL Rahul would average in the single digits if we remove minnows from the record.


You are another one of those mindless trolls who think what they have said is the absolute truth and are unable or incapable or accepting anything else. Remind me to never engage with low quality posters like you again. Have a good day sir. Carry on with your mindless chest thumping.

 

[jusarrived]

Rahul flopped in the ODIs and hence was dropped. But it's interesting to see that Kohli is against Rahul because of Kumble.

He hast been given an opportunity to flop yet