Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

[Usman Chadda]

The above two posts are classic examples of why ignorance is bliss. I have been on this forum since ten odd years, but the Indian bacha party nowadays are the most hilarious bunch in history )

 

[Rahul1]

The above two posts are classic examples of why ignorance is bliss. I have been on this forum since ten odd years, but the Indian bacha party nowadays are the most hilarious bunch in history )

Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad that my fellow Indian friends are giving you a reason to have a laugh since a Pakistan win these days is as rare as logic in a Salman Khan movie.

Before anyone mentions Ireland test, I would like to say congratulations on huffing and puffing on your way to a win against a team playing it's first ever test.

 

[Napa]

The above two posts are classic examples of why ignorance is bliss. I have been on this forum since ten odd years, but the Indian bacha party nowadays are the most hilarious bunch in history )

Which one of the following is hard for you to understand?

1) The best players in the world play in IPL, unless they are injured. Some do not play because they remain unsold, like Root. If they are unsold they must not be that good.

2) The players give it their best effort as otherwise they would not get the multi-million dollar contracts in the future. If you think otherwise, you are saying that professional players do not care about money.

Try to refute the above without resorting to name-calling like "bacha" etc.

 

[CobraRules]

This thread seems so ridiculous with few posters claiming that a batsman who had been once ranked 4 in Tests as a nobody in International cricket.

I wonder how few are saying Babar has just performed poor in Tests even though the fact is he is just terrible as a batsman in Tests who has just scored 550 runs in 24 innings, with a highest ranking of 80 in Tests.
In contrast Rahul is one of the best budding batsman in Tests worldwide. Scoring 6 consecutive half centuries is never easy. Mind you he is an opener where as Babar comes in middle order.

Sunil Gavaskar > Sourav Ganguly because of Test stats irrespective of ODI. Heck even most cricketers considers Test format as pinnacle of Cricket. Those ODI runs weigh very little unless they come in ICC tourneys.
Just for that fact Rahul > Babar ( because of Tests).

Babar gets more media hype because he is the best batsman of Pakistan whereas presently Rahul is nobody in India in comparison to Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Dhawan and Rohit.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Thanks for the compliment. I'm glad that my fellow Indian friends are giving you a reason to have a laugh since a Pakistan win these days is as rare as logic in a Salman Khan movie.

Before anyone mentions Ireland test, I would like to say congratulations on huffing and puffing on your way to a win against a team playing it's first ever test.

So we are just sticking to Tests only now?

Which one of the following is hard for you to understand?

1) The best players in the world play in IPL, unless they are injured. Some do not play because they remain unsold, like Root. If they are unsold they must not be that good.

2) The players give it their best effort as otherwise they would not get the multi-million dollar contracts in the future. If you think otherwise, you are saying that professional players do not care about money.

Try to refute the above without resorting to name-calling like "bacha" etc.

A domestic T20 league can never be a barometer for success for a player. International cricket is played in different conditions against the best eleven players of the respective countries. I've heard some Pant guy is scoring a bucket load of runs in IPL, looked like a total hack in international cricket against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh of all teams. Rahul struggles to make the team ahead of Iyer, Jadhav and Pandey.

Claiming IPL is as good as, if not better, than international cricket is hilarious on so many levels.

This thread seems so ridiculous with few posters claiming that a batsman who had been once ranked 4 in Tests as a nobody in International cricket.

I wonder how few are saying Babar has just performed poor in Tests even though the fact is he is just terrible as a batsman in Tests who has just scored 550 runs in 24 innings, with a highest ranking of 80 in Tests.
In contrast Rahul is one of the best budding batsman in Tests worldwide. Scoring 6 consecutive half centuries is never easy. Mind you he is an opener where as Babar comes in middle order.

Sunil Gavaskar > Sourav Ganguly because of Test stats irrespective of ODI. Heck even most cricketers considers Test format as pinnacle of Cricket. Those ODI runs weigh very little unless they come in ICC tourneys.
Just for that fact Rahul > Babar ( because of Tests).

Babar gets more media hype because he is the best batsman of Pakistan whereas presently Rahul is nobody in India in comparison to Kohli, Pujara, Rahane, Dhawan and Rohit.

Right, so Babar Azam's T20 ranking is not acceptable while when it comes to Rahul rankings are the be-all end-all. Also Rahul bombed spectacularly against South Africa recently in Tests, so I'm not sure how Rahul is way ahead of Babar in that format at the moment.

 

[JaDed]

Rahul is going to be our Tailunt who doesn't deliver.
His fitness is annoying to say the least.
After his awesome Windies series he has left a lot to b desired.

Tbf Babar is not as impactful as others make it seem either,but in PCT he is pretty much going to be in the team, probably another Misbah as a batsman.

 

[Rahul1]

So we are just sticking to Tests only now?


A domestic T20 league can never be a barometer for success for a player. International cricket is played in different conditions against the best eleven players of the respective countries. I've heard some Pant guy is scoring a bucket load of runs in IPL, looked like a total hack in international cricket against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh of all teams. Rahul struggles to make the team ahead of Iyer, Jadhav and Pandey.

Claiming IPL is as good as, if not better, than international cricket is hilarious on so many levels.


Right, so Babar Azam's T20 ranking is not acceptable while when it comes to Rahul rankings are the be-all end-all. Also Rahul bombed spectacularly against South Africa recently in Tests, so I'm not sure how Rahul is way ahead of Babar in that format at the moment.

I don't follow Pakistan cricket much but if I recall correctly the last time you played an odi series you were whitewashed 5-0 in NZ.

 

[Rahul1]

Rahul is going to be our Tailunt who doesn't deliver.
His fitness is annoying to say the least.
After his awesome Windies series he has left a lot to b desired.

Tbf Babar is not as impactful as others make it seem either,but in PCT he is pretty much going to be in the team, probably another Misbah as a batsman.

You couldn't be more wrong. Every ex-cricketer and expert in India rates Rahul extremely highly and it is only a matter of him getting consistent chances.

 

[JaDed]

You couldn't be more wrong. Every ex-cricketer and expert in India rates Rahul extremely highly and it is only a matter of him getting consistent chances.

He himself is not capable of taking consistent chances due to his fitness.Every expert highly rated Rohit too (Rahul as a batsman Imo is better than Rohit) but Rahul doesn't have that determination in him, he is going the Utthapa way.

And yes imo Rahul better than Babar as a batsman but Indian team is a batsmen oriented team and he can't keep his place , mind you Karun Nair after a 300 was out of test team so lol, Babar will end up with better stats than Rahul.

 

[Send1983]

So we are just sticking to Tests only now?


A domestic T20 league can never be a barometer for success for a player. International cricket is played in different conditions against the best eleven players of the respective countries. I've heard some Pant guy is scoring a bucket load of runs in IPL, looked like a total hack in international cricket against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh of all teams. Rahul struggles to make the team ahead of Iyer, Jadhav and Pandey.

Claiming IPL is as good as, if not better, than international cricket is hilarious on so many levels.


Right, so Babar Azam's T20 ranking is not acceptable while when it comes to Rahul rankings are the be-all end-all. Also Rahul bombed spectacularly against South Africa recently in Tests, so I'm not sure how Rahul is way ahead of Babar in that format at the moment.

Ok. Pant failed in international games but successful in IPL this year. What do you have for these players who are big hit in international but struggling in this years IPL? D’Arcy Short, Monroe, Stroke, Finch,etc

Hope you will answer this without name calling.

 

[CobraRules]

So we are just sticking to Tests only now?

Right, so Babar Azam's T20 ranking is not acceptable while when it comes to Rahul rankings are the be-all end-all. Also Rahul bombed spectacularly against South Africa recently in Tests, so I'm not sure how Rahul is way ahead of Babar in that format at the moment.

I didn't say Babar's ranking is unacceptable though I feel he is rated a bit high as No.1 batsman which he is clearly not. He is a Top 5-7 batsman in T20 because of his consistency and accumulation of runs. The thing is Rahul was also at once rated as No.6 in T20, so there isn't a lot of differences.

So you wanna bring Rahul's last four test innings at SA ?? Ok, Then Babar also bombed his NZ tour with a spectacular average of 6 in 5 matches. So don't know how Babar is ahead of Rahul in that format.

 

[CobraRules]

He himself is not capable of taking consistent chances due to his fitness.Every expert highly rated Rohit too (Rahul as a batsman Imo is better than Rohit) but Rahul doesn't have that determination in him, he is going the Utthapa way.

Utthapa was given 59 chances in LOI. It would be a fair comparison if Rahul is given the same number of chances in LOI.

 

[Bilal7]

Laughable how IPL is now a barometer for success at international level. Please stop embarrassing yourselves further. If KL Rahul is really as good as he's made out to be, he will prove it eventually.

Like I said, Rahul is a good IPL batsman. Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Funny how the Indians are pretty much proving this with their laughable comments.

 

[Bilal7]

I didn't say Babar's ranking is unacceptable though I feel he is rated a bit high as No.1 batsman which he is clearly not. He is a Top 5-7 batsman in T20 because of his consistency and accumulation of runs. The thing is Rahul was also at once rated as No.6 in T20, so there isn't a lot of differences.

So you wanna bring Rahul's last four test innings at SA ?? Ok, Then Babar also bombed his NZ tour with a spectacular average of 6 in 5 matches. So don't know how Babar is ahead of Rahul in that format.

"Once". What is his rank right now? Babar is nothing more than a decent test batsman right now but the fact that he's actually playing tests consistently means that he'll eventually move on to the next level.

 

[Napa]

A domestic T20 league can never be a barometer for success for a player. International cricket is played in different conditions against the best eleven players of the respective countries.

IPL a domestic league? It is the only place where the very best players play against each other. In an international series, the best players from only 2 countries participate. It is only in the IPL and the ICC tournaments that the best players from all countries (except Pakistan for IPL) participate. In the IPL the rankings of batsmen are ABD #9, QDK #32, Brendon McCullum #43 etc. Any league in which McCullum is ranked #43 must be a very good league.

https://www.iplt20.com/stats/2018/most-runs

There is a reason Mooen Ali said that he would play for free in the IPL, and that IPL has made him a better player. Everybody wants to play in a tournament that attracts the top talent from around the world.

Stay in touch with reality

 

[Send1983]

Like I said, Rahul is a good IPL batsman. Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Funny how the Indians are pretty much proving this with their laughable comments.

Rahul is a good test batsman too. Thought you always give more weightage to test performance than pyjama cricket?

 

[CobraRules]

"Once". What is his rank right now? Babar is nothing more than a decent test batsman right now but the fact that he's actually playing tests consistently means that he'll eventually move on to the next level.

Rahul is presently ranked 12 in T20. Apart from Rahul, Kohli (8), Rohit (13), Dhawan (17) are in Top 20.

P.S. The best opener of world Fakhar Zaman is ranked at 50 just a notch below William Porterfield who is ranked 49 (T20)

Babar is far from a decent test batsman. He is getting chances in Tests because of his LOI exploits.

 

[Rahul1]

Like I said, Rahul is a good IPL batsman. Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Funny how the Indians are pretty much proving this with their laughable comments.

No comments on post #1031?

 

[Syed1]

Rahul is presently ranked 12 in T20. Apart from Rahul, Kohli (8), Rohit (13), Dhawan (17) are in Top 20.

P.S. The best opener of world Fakhar Zaman is ranked at 50 just a notch below William Porterfield who is ranked 49 (T20)

Babar is far from a decent test batsman. He is getting chances in Tests because of his LOI exploits.

You made the "far from decent" assessment based on the handful of tests that Babar has played?


By that definition Rahul is a crap ODI player because if you remove his stats against Zim he will average in the single digits.


Also glad you brought rankings up. Rahul at 12 is 11 spots behind Babar whether you accept it or not.

 

[Adijazz1706]

Rahul is presently ranked 12 in T20. Apart from Rahul, Kohli (8), Rohit (13), Dhawan (17) are in Top 20.

P.S. The best opener of world Fakhar Zaman is ranked at 50 just a notch below William Porterfield who is ranked 49 (T20)

Babar is far from a decent test batsman. He is getting chances in Tests because of his LOI exploits.

Rahul is ranked 11 places below Babar in T20s, has scored 52 runs in his 7 ODIs apart from Zimbabwe, and didn't even perform in the Nidas trophy. Hes done well in Tests in the past but struggled in SA. Babar avgs 50+ in both LOI formats and is ranked #1 in T20Is while struggling in Tests. Judge for yourself

 

[Sidilicious]

Like I said, Rahul is a good IPL batsman. Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Funny how the Indians are pretty much proving this with their laughable comments.

Ridiculous comment. What has Babar done in test cricket? In the end, tests always count more than ODIs, and ODIs count more than T20s.

Babar is not even in the top 10 batsmen currently across all formats.

I would say Fab 4, ABD, Faf, Amla, Warner, Ross Taylor, QDK, Dhawan are all better bats than Babar across formats.

 

[CobraRules]

Rahul is ranked 11 places below Babar in T20s, has scored 52 runs in his 7 ODIs apart from Zimbabwe, and didn't even perform in the Nidas trophy. Hes done well in Tests in the past but struggled in SA. Babar avgs 50+ in both LOI formats and is ranked #1 in T20Is while struggling in Tests. Judge for yourself

Can't I say the same thing about Babar? He has done well in the ODIs in the past but recently struggled a big time in NZ ODIs with only 31 runs from 5 innings when NZ were scoring around 270 per innings.

How is it justified to pull up Rahul's recent poor Test stats of SA and completely ignore Babar's recent ODI stats of NZ??

In T20, My point is even though Rahul is not a regular in Indian team still he is at 12. Compare to the other players in Top 15-20 in the rankings, you will se all of them are core members of their teams. That's an achievement for a bench player.

As for My Judging..
In Tests- Rahul>>Babar
In ODIs- Babar>>Rahul
In T20- Babar=Rahul, Babar may edge him slightly. Babar has consistency and Rahul has impact.

Overall: Rahul edging Babar because of Tests. And this is my personal opinion. And I don't agree with any posters who are claiming that one batsman is far ahead of another because of Statistics or Potential which is clearly not. It's a fair comparison between the two.

 

[RamLakhan]

If Babar is such a good batsman (probably best among current Pakistani Batsmen), then I guess he should be compared with Kohli, ABD, Smith, etc. Why Pakistanis are putting alongside poor Rahul who can't even make into playing XI? This is like choosing whatever convenient!

 

[jusarrived]

If Babar is such a good batsman (probably best among current Pakistani Batsmen), then I guess he should be compared with Kohli, ABD, Smith, etc. Why Pakistanis are putting alongside poor Rahul who can't even make into playing XI? This is like choosing whatever convenient!

It's simple , easy to argue that KL is not in Indian team so Babar is somehow better and once KL becomes a regular we will switch to the next potential indian great ..may be shubnam gill ?

 

[Ab Fan]

At the moment, Rahul is a superior test bat while Babar is ahead in limited overs.

However, I think Rahul will surpass him as a batsmen over the years.

 

[RamLakhan]

It's simple , easy to argue that KL is not in Indian team so Babar is somehow better and once KL becomes a regular we will switch to the next potential indian great ..may be shubnam gill ?

And by that time this Pakistani monster will go missing and another would have arrived sneaking into the easy Pakistani lineup! See the cycle...

 

[RamLakhan]

At the moment, Rahul is a superior test bat while Babar is ahead in limited overs.

However, I think Rahul will surpass him as a batsmen over the years.

Rahul was a good test bat to start with, but the for the eager to do well in LOIs he has transformed his game completely, and from now I think he will do much better in LOIs... Perhaps him and Dhawan should develop an understanding to open in all 3 formats, so that they can create an aggressive opening template... India should not miss out this talent with aging Murali Vijay, Rohit, Dhawan and even Kohli... Hence I don't see any interest in the comparison between him & a Pakistani batsman! We either want his potential to get completely utilized or get discarded if he has such mental issues... But he has definitely shown some hints of overcoming those mental blocks in this IPL, and I don't bother if some people here don't rate IPL...

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don't follow Pakistan cricket much but if I recall correctly the last time you played an odi series you were whitewashed 5-0 in NZ.

A small hiccup in an otherwise decent 2017 in ODI cricket for Pakistan. I'm sure you remember why, your team was a big reason.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I didn't say Babar's ranking is unacceptable though I feel he is rated a bit high as No.1 batsman which he is clearly not. He is a Top 5-7 batsman in T20 because of his consistency and accumulation of runs. The thing is Rahul was also at once rated as No.6 in T20, so there isn't a lot of differences.

So you wanna bring Rahul's last four test innings at SA ?? Ok, Then Babar also bombed his NZ tour with a spectacular average of 6 in 5 matches. So don't know how Babar is ahead of Rahul in that format.

Babar is ahead because Rahul doesn't even get picked for his country's LOI teams, while both are regulars (in Rahul's case semi regular) in Test cricket. Thus, recent form of both batsmen in Test cricket is relevant. Yes Babar bombed in NZ, but he wasn't sitting on his couch eating chanay like Rahul was so there is no basis of comparison in terms of recent form.

 

[Usman Chadda]

And by that time this Pakistani monster will go missing and another would have arrived sneaking into the easy Pakistani lineup! See the cycle...

India's middle-order right now is as easy as the minnows. If Rahul can't make it into that, speaks volumes of how much the team management rate him. He didn't even start in the Nidahas Trophy against the mighty Lankans and Bdeshis

 

[Ab Fan]

Rahul was a good test bat to start with, but the for the eager to do well in LOIs he has transformed his game completely, and from now I think he will do much better in LOIs... Perhaps him and Dhawan should develop an understanding to open in all 3 formats, so that they can create an aggressive opening template... India should not miss out this talent with aging Murali Vijay, Rohit, Dhawan and even Kohli... Hence I don't see any interest in the comparison between him & a Pakistani batsman! We either want his potential to get completely utilized or get discarded if he has such mental issues... But he has definitely shown some hints of overcoming those mental blocks in this IPL, and I don't bother if some people here don't rate IPL...

I just hope India has a stable batting lineup. Dont make plenty of changes every time.

It should be a fixed top 6 and that should be your best 6.

Yes, changes made according to pitch conditions or requirements is a different thing but no point in playing Rohit and Dhawan in playing XI anymore. It is not even that they are young and they will provide you service for 8-9 years if they click.

Stability is mandatory. There isn't any test series post 2010s which can be considered as some sort of achievement for the Indian test team. The time has come up now for them to win in alien conditions.

 

[Usman Chadda]

IPL a domestic league? It is the only place where the very best players play against each other. In an international series, the best players from only 2 countries participate. It is only in the IPL and the ICC tournaments that the best players from all countries (except Pakistan for IPL) participate. In the IPL the rankings of batsmen are ABD #9, QDK #32, Brendon McCullum #43 etc. Any league in which McCullum is ranked #43 must be a very good league.

https://www.iplt20.com/stats/2018/most-runs

There is a reason Mooen Ali said that he would play for free in the IPL, and that IPL has made him a better player. Everybody wants to play in a tournament that attracts the top talent from around the world.

Stay in touch with reality

If you cannot understand the difference between judging a player from a domestic T20 league (which it basically is, no matter how much you get your juices flowing trying to glorify it) and international cricket, then I would like to just say that you are being incredibly unfair for calling me out for 'name-calling'.

 

[Sidilicious]

Babar is ahead because Rahul doesn't even get picked for his country's LOI teams, while both are regulars (in Rahul's case semi regular) in Test cricket. Thus, recent form of both batsmen in Test cricket is relevant. Yes Babar bombed in NZ, but he wasn't sitting on his couch eating chanay like Rahul was so there is no basis of comparison in terms of recent form.

Well, Rahul was only dropped for 1 test match. And since we are talking about rankings in T20s and ODIs, can you explain the difference in the test rankings between the two?

Surely, you'd like to present a consistent argument.

 

[Napa]

If you cannot understand the difference between judging a player from a domestic T20 league (which it basically is, no matter how much you get your juices flowing trying to glorify it) and international cricket, then I would like to just say that you are being incredibly unfair for calling me out for 'name-calling'.

This is not something we can really settle with arguments. I believe when there is a multi-million dollar contract on the line, an Australian/South African/English etc. player will give his best, and the game will be at a higher level than it would be playing against many international teams like Bangladesh, SL, NZ, Ireland etc.

You may believe otherwise, and we just have to agree to disagree.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Well, Rahul was only dropped for 1 test match. And since we are talking about rankings in T20s and ODIs, can you explain the difference in the test rankings between the two?

Surely, you'd like to present a consistent argument.

I've already said Rahul is a better Test batsman than Babar. In LOIs Babar is quite a bit ahead. My arguments are against some of your countrymen who are trying to prove Rahul is way ahead of Babar, Babar will wither away and never be seen again, this thread will be like Akmal v Kohli etc

 

[Sidilicious]

I've already said Rahul is a better Test batsman than Babar. In LOIs Babar is quite a bit ahead. My arguments are against some of your countrymen who are trying to prove Rahul is way ahead of Babar, Babar will wither away and never be seen again, this thread will be like Akmal v Kohli etc

Well, I do believe that Rahul has higher ceiling as a batsman, but as of now, Babar is a better bat due to his performance in ODIs. Rahul has certainly developed since 2014 and seems to be becoming a better batsman.

The reason I think Rahul has a higher ceiling is because he has developed the power hitting that he didnt earlier have. Babar, on the other hand has not added to his game despite lacking power hitting, the one thing that would make him one of the best in the world.

If Rahul can have a good tour of England in all formats, he will be equal to Babar because he would have opened a significant gap in test cricket.

 

[Usman Chadda]

This is not something we can really settle with arguments. I believe when there is a multi-million dollar contract on the line, an Australian/South African/English etc. player will give his best, and the game will be at a higher level than it would be playing against many international teams like Bangladesh, SL, NZ, Ireland etc.

You may believe otherwise, and we just have to agree to disagree.

You are not getting the point why domestic leagues are different than international games. We will never be able to judge where and when a player is giving his/her best, unless you know the particular player in person. Its all hyperbole. What is a fact is that international cricket is about performing against the best eleven the opposition puts out in different conditions and a variety of turfs. No domestic league can ever be a barometer of success for that simple reason.

I agree with your last statement so lets just leave it at that.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Well, I do believe that Rahul has higher ceiling as a batsman, but as of now, Babar is a better bat due to his performance in ODIs. Rahul has certainly developed since 2014 and seems to be becoming a better batsman.

The reason I think Rahul has a higher ceiling is because he has developed the power hitting that he didnt earlier have. Babar, on the other hand has not added to his game despite lacking power hitting, the one thing that would make him one of the best in the world.

If Rahul can have a good tour of England in all formats, he will be equal to Babar because he would have opened a significant gap in test cricket.

Fair enough. As I said, if KL Rahul is that good he will prove it in the long run. But to put down one of the better LOI bats in the modern game, is unfair. The fact is Rahul doesn't make an Indian team with arguably one of the worst middle-orders in world cricket today. Babar, for all his deficiencies, has managed to become a pillar of the Pakistan batting line-up and wins his country games. It doesn't matter how much of a difference there is between the quality of batting between the two countries. Babar Azam wins his country cricket matches as a batter and that makes him a valuable asset to Pakistan cricket aswell as world cricket.

Also people forget Babar is only 23 years old and has a long way to go. His stats at the moment are better than a lot of the power-packed jumbos of modern cricket at a similar age.

 

[Sidilicious]

Fair enough. As I said, if KL Rahul is that good he will prove it in the long run. But to put down one of the better LOI bats in the modern game, is unfair. The fact is Rahul doesn't make an Indian team with arguably one of the worst middle-orders in world cricket today. Babar, for all his deficiencies, has managed to become a pillar of the Pakistan batting line-up and wins his country games. It doesn't matter how much of a difference there is between the quality of batting between the two countries. Babar Azam wins his country cricket matches as a batter and that makes him a valuable asset to Pakistan cricket aswell as world cricket.

Also people forget Babar is only 23 years old and has a long way to go. His stats at the moment are better than a lot of the power-packed jumbos of modern cricket at a similar age.

Babar is a good LOI batsman, no doubt. But if he doesnt develop the power game, his performance against the top 6 ODI nations will not be as good in the long run. That is they way cricket of this decade is.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Babar is a good LOI batsman, no doubt. But if he doesnt develop the power game, his performance against the top 6 ODI nations will not be as good in the long run. That is they way cricket of this decade is.

I personally am not bothered since he can play knocks at a good clip without wanting to go for extravagant shots. His inability to clear the field at will is frustrating to watch when the game is on, but we don't want Babar Azam going the Imran Nazir or Umar Akmal way by trying to do too much too early. Most Pakistan fans are thankful we have a batsman who can be relied upon to win us matches. Babar plays Australia, New Zealand, England and South Africa in the coming 6-7 months in multiple formats, so we can have an idea of where he stands among the top echelon soon enough.

 

[Bilal7]

Ridiculous comment. What has Babar done in test cricket? In the end, tests always count more than ODIs, and ODIs count more than T20s.

Babar is not even in the top 10 batsmen currently across all formats.

I would say Fab 4, ABD, Faf, Amla, Warner, Ross Taylor, QDK, Dhawan are all better bats than Babar across formats.

Well, I was focusing more on the LOI formats. Babar's test career is only just starting and Rahul's is on hold, for all we know. Babar is one of the best when it comes to ODIs + T20s.

 

[Bilal7]

Let's not forget that KL Rahul is almost 26 while Babar Azam is just 23. What was Rahul doing when he was Babar's age? I can't see Rahul becoming a regular in the Indian team until after the 2019 WC, by which Babar will be too far ahead just in terms of experience.

 

[Sidilicious]

Well, I was focusing more on the LOI formats. Babar's test career is only just starting and Rahul's is on hold, for all we know. Babar is one of the best when it comes to ODIs + T20s.

Rahul's test career is not hold. He played the last 2 matches, and has been in the XV for every series.

As of now, Rahul is clearly of ahead of Babar in tests, despite being behind him in LOIs.

 

[Bilal7]

Rahul's test career is not hold. He played the last 2 matches, and has been in the XV for every series.

As of now, Rahul is clearly of ahead of Babar in tests, despite being behind him in LOIs.

Will he be first choice in England or will India go back to Vijay + Dhawan?

 

[Dingolfy]

Let's not forget that KL Rahul is almost 26 while Babar Azam is just 23. What was Rahul doing when he was Babar's age? I can't see Rahul becoming a regular in the Indian team until after the 2019 WC, by which Babar will be too far ahead just in terms of experience.

Babar will be playing more ODI matches against quality opposition now.Look how he struggled in Newzealand.So let us see where he stands after 2019.

 

[ArsenalFC]

Well, I was focusing more on the LOI formats. Babar's test career is only just starting and Rahul's is on hold, for all we know. Babar is one of the best when it comes to ODIs + T20s.

Didn't you also mention Babar is better than Kohli before the NZ whitewash because he was averaging 58 at the time?

The disastrous New Zealand series for Babar was a good reminder not to speak too soon. Babar is not one of the best in ODIs and T20Is. Not even close.

 

[Bilal7]

Babar will be playing more ODI matches against quality opposition now.Look how he struggled in Newzealand.So let us see where he stands after 2019.

He's already done well against quality opposition across formats. Nothing to worry about.

Didn't you also mention Babar is better than Kohli before the NZ whitewash because he was averaging 58 at the time?

The disastrous New Zealand series for Babar was a good reminder not to speak too soon. Babar is not one of the best in ODIs and T20Is. Not even close.

No, you are completely misinterpreting what I said. Learn to read more carefully. Babar is ahead of where Kohli was at the same age and that still holds true.

 

[Syed1]

Babar will be playing more ODI matches against quality opposition now.Look how he struggled in Newzealand.So let us see where he stands after 2019.

Yeah Babar struggled in New Zealand but he averages 50+ against Aus, around 39 against Eng and against SA he has only batted once scoring 31 not out.



But please don't let facts or logic come in your way.

 

[ArsenalFC]

He's already done well against quality opposition across formats. Nothing to worry about.



No, you are completely misinterpreting what I said. Learn to read more carefully. Babar is ahead of where Kohli was at the same age and that still holds true.

No I can assure I know what I read and exactly when it was mentioned - it was just before the NZ series and used Babar's average back then (which was 58) to justify why he's a greater batsman.

Also the point about Babar being ahead when Kohli was at the same stage is a mute point because the chance of Babar being "Pakistan's Kohli" let alone surpassing him are virtually nil.

 

[Send1983]

Babar has scored more than 50% of his LOI runs against WI, SL and World 11. Test is the only format where he played more against teams other than WI/SL, we all know how poor he has been in that format. Pak fans need to stop hyping him until he scores runs against top teams consistently. Lol at his 50 plus average in Aus, almost all runs were scored on low strike on flattest wickets. He used that series nicely to bump up his stats but provided no impact at all.

 

[ManFan]

Babar has scored more than 50% of his LOI runs against WI, SL and World 11. Test is the only format where he played more against teams other than WI/SL, we all know how poor he has been in that format. Pak fans need to stop hyping him until he scores runs against top teams consistently. Lol at his 50 plus average in Aus, almost all runs were scored on low strike on flattest wickets. He used that series nicely to bump up his stats but provided no impact at all.

KL Rahul has performed against AUS and failed against SL and WI.

So is he not good enough to score against those second string attacks?

 

[Send1983]

KL Rahul has performed against AUS and failed against SL and WI.

So is he not good enough to score against those second string attacks?

Which one would you prefer, scoring against top team or minnow. We all know shewag has poor record against Bang and best record against pak . You can’t say bang had better bowling attack than Pak.

 

[BreadPakoda]

Like I said, Rahul is a good IPL batsman. Babar is one of the best batsmen in the world across formats.

Funny how the Indians are pretty much proving this with their laughable comments.

Strange that you do not use your measuring standards while judging Babar. How many series has Babar won against top teams away from home?

 

[MeanAndGreen]

Babar has scored more than 50% of his LOI runs against WI, SL and World 11. Test is the only format where he played more against teams other than WI/SL, we all know how poor he has been in that format. Pak fans need to stop hyping him until he scores runs against top teams consistently. Lol at his 50 plus average in Aus, almost all runs were scored on low strike on flattest wickets. He used that series nicely to bump up his stats but provided no impact at all.

Pak fans need to stop hyping Babar until he starts scoring runs against top teams consistently yet when he does it , you say it has no impact. Then your preaching KL Rahul being better when he is yet to do the same thing . Your literally extrapolating KL Rahul off a couple of IPL performances but your cricitizing people for hyping a 23 year old who averages 50+ in both LOI formats.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Pak fans need to stop hyping Babar until he starts scoring runs against top teams consistently yet when he does it , you say it has no impact. Then your preaching KL Rahul being better when he is yet to do the same thing . Your literally extrapolating KL Rahul off a couple of IPL performances but your cricitizing people for hyping a 23 year old who averages 50+ in both LOI formats.

Babar is an elite international batter, his ranking proves this and so does his stats. By the time he is 32 he will be Pakistani ATG.

 

[Send1983]

Pak fans need to stop hyping Babar until he starts scoring runs against top teams consistently yet when he does it , you say it has no impact. Then your preaching KL Rahul being better when he is yet to do the same thing . Your literally extrapolating KL Rahul off a couple of IPL performances but your cricitizing people for hyping a 23 year old who averages 50+ in both LOI formats.

People here call Someone like Sachin who is ATG as selfish. That’s how high the standard is here. Sachin not even once batted in slower pace while chasing huge targets. But Babar played at 60 to 70 strike rate while chasing 350+ scores. Obviously aussies were happy to give singles as they know very well if RRR goes over 9, it’s more like match in the pocket. Babar showed no urgency what so ever until he scored 60odd runs, once match is out of reach, hit few boundaries to get his SR up a bit. This type of innings, anyone who can bat a bit can easily do, no way these type of innings prove Babar is a top class batsman, yes he has potential to be one, but I want to see him scoring and playing some meaningful innings against top teams before I call him a top class batsman.

 

[RamLakhan]

People here call Someone like Sachin who is ATG as selfish. That’s how high the standard is here. Sachin not even once batted in slower pace while chasing huge targets. But Babar played at 60 to 70 strike rate while chasing 350+ scores. Obviously aussies were happy to give singles as they know very well if RRR goes over 9, it’s more like match in the pocket. Babar showed no urgency what so ever until he scored 60odd runs, once match is out of reach, hit few boundaries to get his SR up a bit. This type of innings, anyone who can bat a bit can easily do, no way these type of innings prove Babar is a top class batsman, yes he has potential to be one, but I want to see him scoring and playing some meaningful innings against top teams before I call him a top class batsman.

Oh, this is how he is building his career then! Rahul can handle such situations batting left handed probably! But the fact is he has to get into the strong Indian Batting lineup, if you don't perform then you are out of it (Will have to bear with retired or late dreams like Rayudu, DK, etc!) People here are not understanding the contexts or they are cunningly ignorant! That's why it is stupidity to compare budding talents from different countries solely based on statistics! You should rather observe the quality of players if ever you are worried about comparison.

 

[Send1983]

Oh, this is how he is building his career then! Rahul can handle such situations batting left handed probably! But the fact is he has to get into the strong Indian Batting lineup, if you don't perform then you are out of it (Will have to bear with retired or late dreams like Rayudu, DK, etc!) People here are not understanding the contexts or they are cunningly ignorant! That's why it is stupidity to compare budding talents from different countries solely based on statistics! You should rather observe the quality of players if ever you are worried about comparison.

Anyone with reasonable cricket knowledge can easily see the difference in batting talent between these two batsmen. Babar is more like Mohammad Kaif, don’t have more than 3 gears. He is good for Pak batting which is not one of the top batting lineups and it needs someone to be solid and consistent. He perfectly fits into that whereas Rahul has all 5 gears and play shots both sides of the wicket. He is fighting for a spot in strong Indian top heavy batting lineup with dumb captain who seem to have some issue with him.

 

[Someone]

Babar is the inferior version of Rahul.. its simple as that..

 

[Bilal7]

No I can assure I know what I read and exactly when it was mentioned - it was just before the NZ series and used Babar's average back then (which was 58) to justify why he's a greater batsman.

Also the point about Babar being ahead when Kohli was at the same stage is a mute point because the chance of Babar being "Pakistan's Kohli" let alone surpassing him are virtually nil.

You're a funny guy thinking you know what someone said better than the person themselves.

Virtually nil for you but for me, Babar is in with a very good chance of surpassing Kohli. However, I hope he aims higher in test cricket.

Strange that you do not use your measuring standards while judging Babar. How many series has Babar won against top teams away from home?

My standards are different for a 100-test veteran compared to a 10-test newbie.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Atm babar> rahul.
I am 100% sure that rahul will be a better test and t20i batter than babar .It is odis where he needs to be checked

 

[RamLakhan]

Atm babar> rahul.
I am 100% sure that rahul will be a better test and t20i batter than babar .It is odis where he needs to be checked

ODIs are anyhow losing the charm. The demands of T20 is more. Aspiration in IPL is a must for any Indian Cricketer including the regulars in national team!(even Foreign Cricketers barring Pakistanis, even they wished!) at least for financial benefits. I am sure Rahul would have settled by now as a good ODI & Test bat, if there was no IPL, he would have been at least similar to the other Rahul (Rahul Dravid) - Best in Tests and Decent in ODIs (same part-time/forced WK skills like Dravid if you observe!) It is the T20 which has transformed him completely with new challenges, hence he is taking bit longer to settle in (He may not live up to that challenge as well, may lose it out eventually - that is also a possibility! But let's keep positive hope...) He would have cemented his place if he was in the position of Rahul Dravid or a Pakistani Batsman (both didn't have that additional pressure! Dravid took WK job to leach into the ODI side until Dhoni, while Pakistan batsman relish on their easy batting lineup! Rohit Sharma would have scored 10 double centuries if he was playing for Pakistan, because Pakistan play so many inconsequential matches which he can relish on, as he would have had lot of time in the innings with the other guys just rotating the strike without hitting anything, also he wouldn't had that IPL burden!)

So if you see that Rahul is inferior in one format (ODI), then it is because of these disturbances. Even Kohli finds difficulty to manage all the formats (for his standards - he is a failure in IPL which is another sub-format!)

 

[Rahul1]

You're a funny guy thinking you know what someone said better than the person themselves.

Virtually nil for you but for me, Babar is in with a very good chance of surpassing Kohli. However, I hope he aims higher in test cricket.



My standards are different for a 100-test veteran compared to a 10-test newbie.

The delusions never end.

 

[Hawkeye]

Virtually nil for you but for me, Babar is in with a very good chance of surpassing Kohli. However, I hope he aims higher in test cricket.

Really, man? .... That's like saying Sun has a good chance of rising from the West in a few years.

It's why the parosis make fun of us. We give them chances.

 

[Peshwa]

You're a funny guy thinking you know what someone said better than the person themselves.

Virtually nil for you but for me, Babar is in with a very good chance of surpassing Kohli. However, I hope he aims higher in test cricket.



My standards are different for a 100-test veteran compared to a 10-test newbie.

First Kamran Akmal
Then Umar Akmal
Then Ahmed Shehzad
And now Babar Azam
You people never get tired
Between if u dreaming big then dream bigger why Kohli I think Babar Azam have good chance of Surpassing Don Bradman

 

[Sidilicious]

Really, man? .... That's like saying Sun has a good chance of rising from the West in a few years.

It's why the parosis make fun of us. We give them chances.

Dont worry, we have some similar guys making tall claims on our side as well.

In any case, we dont generalise when making fun.

 

[Send1983]

Really, man? .... That's like saying Sun has a good chance of rising from the West in a few years.

It's why the parosis make fun of us. We give them chances.

Let him continue with his delusional post dude. He is a funny guy. Good entertainment for us.

Some of his gems like Babar is as good as Rahul in Test. Pakistan is a better fielding side than India. Younis Khan is an ATG, in the same tier as Sachin and Lara, also better than Dravid, Gavasker,etc.,

 

[big_gamer007]

Let him continue with his delusional post dude. He is a funny guy. Good entertainment for us.

Some of his gems like Babar is as good as Rahul in Test. Pakistan is a better fielding side than India. Younis Khan is an ATG, in the same tier as Sachin and Lara, also better than Dravid, Gavasker,etc.,

Loool I thought Junaids was funny but this guy is giving him a run for his money for being the most delusional poster..

On topic To be fair Babar has performed pretty decently and was ranked number 1 in T20 and had good start in ODI..

Let’s be fair here neither of them are ATG and both of them are initial levels in their career and you can say Babar is slightly ahead of Rahul right now.. It doesn’t matter which teams Babar scored against he has performed pretty well in LOI’s..

Potential wise one can argue Rahul might over take him however that is totally dependant in Rahul, he needs to continue to work hard and make use of whatever opportunity he can get.. Ultimately what matters is performance and not talent so let’s see how Rahul performs in next 3-4 years..

 

[Send1983]

Loool I thought Junaids was funny but this guy is giving him a run for his money for being the most delusional poster..

On topic To be fair Babar has performed pretty decently and was ranked number 1 in T20 and had good start in ODI..

Let’s be fair here neither of them are ATG and both of them are initial levels in their career and you can say Babar is slightly ahead of Rahul right now.. It doesn’t matter which teams Babar scored against he has performed pretty well in LOI’s..

Potential wise one can argue Rahul might over take him however that is totally dependant in Rahul, he needs to continue to work hard and make use of whatever opportunity he can get.. Ultimately what matters is performance and not talent so let’s see how Rahul performs in next 3-4 years..

Its fine if he had just said something like "Babar is better than Rahul in ODI and T20s". but he also added this delusional statement that Babar is as good as Rahul in Test. He wants to use Stats and Ranking to back his claim that Babar is better than Rahul in LOIs but he does not want to accept that Rahul is better in Test where stats and ranking clearly say Rahul is better.

 

[Rayyman]

Babar Azam is clearly better than KL Rahul in LOIs as now.

Imo for Rahul has potential and he should open for India in all formats. He has great potential at #1 or 2, but not good enough for middle-order. They should move Rohit down.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Lokesh who?

 

[Rahul1]

Lokesh who?

Kannanur Lokesh Rahul.

 

[Send1983]

Lokesh who?

So you don’t watch test cricket it seems. Maybe pyjama cricket fan. Btw he is one of the top test cricketers as per ICC ranking.

 

[rhony]

He hast been given an opportunity to flop yet

10 matches, 9 innings, 1 100, 1 50 and 248 runs.

Thats 150 runs in 7 innings.

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

Kannanur Lokesh Rahul.

Lokesh who?

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/wi/content/records/283174.html

Lokesh is a glorified Asad Shafiq. Babar is a heavyweight.

 

[Syed1]

Lokesh who?

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/wi/content/records/283174.html

Lokesh is a glorified Asad Shafiq. Babar is a heavyweight.

If you remove KL Rahul's runs against ZIM in ODIs he will average in the single digits. Rahul cannot even polish the shoes of the guy who polishes Bobby's shoes.

 

[Send1983]

Lokesh who?

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/wi/content/records/283174.html

Lokesh is a glorified Asad Shafiq. Babar is a heavyweight.

As expected you don’t watch test cricket. Btw check the stats, most of the runs scored against current minnows like Windies and SL.

 

[Usman Chadda]

As expected you don’t watch test cricket. Btw check the stats, most of the runs scored against current minnows like Windies and SL.

What stopped Rahul from doing well against Lanka in Nidahas Trophy?

 

[Flat_Track_Bully]

As expected you don’t watch test cricket. Btw check the stats, most of the runs scored against current minnows like Windies and SL.

Babar does not play at home, his averages would be even higher.

You are clutching at straws here go find another comparison.

Fakhar has already eclipised your Lokesh nobody.

 

[kuskash]

Virtually nil for you but for me, Babar is in with a very good chance of surpassing Kohli. However, I hope he aims higher in test cricket.

I was sad today but then I read this, thanks.