Best young (Under-25) batsman from Asia?

[Teshi98]

Rahul is surely the better test and t20 batsmen and atleast equal if not better than babar in odis. He has to improve his fitness and within 5 years will be among the best in all 3 formats. Babar may well be the best for Pakistan but don't see him being succesfull in all formats. He lacks the hitting ability and i feel that will lose consistency trying to improve the hitting game.

 

[Rayyman]

Read who voted for him as well, majority of the biased Pakistani fans. Nonetheless, I don't care if he gets 99% of the votes, I can see why Rahul is better than Babar and so can those who don't view with their green-tinted glasses.

How do you check who voted for who?

 

[Square Drive]

Read who voted for him as well, majority of the biased Pakistani fans. Nonetheless, I don't care if he gets 99% of the votes, I can see why Rahul is better than Babar and so can those who don't view with their green-tinted glasses.

Similarly, almost all of Rahul's votes are from biased Indian fans.

 

[Square Drive]

How do you check who voted for who?

Click on the number of votes for any of the options.

 

[Rayyman]

Click on the number of votes for any of the options.

Ok cool. Thanks brother.

Azam has more than 50% of the votes.

 

[Mamoon]

Similarly, almost all of Rahul's votes are from biased Indian fans.

Some might have voted due to their bias, but any objective individual with even a minuscule understanding of cricket can see that Rahul is a more complete batsman than Babar.

 

[Mamoon]

No point writing novels arguing who is better or who is not. It will all be clear in a year or two.

That being said Babar has definitely looked the better ODI batsman and has played a stellar knock in tests with his back against the wall and on a green top, something Rahul hasn't done as yet. KL Rahul has played well in tests but all of his centuries have come on flat pattas.

He has also scored runs on turning pitches where other Indian batsmen have failed. Having said that, Babar's 91* in New Zealand showed what he can do in Tests. Given his playing style and temparement, it might prove to be his strongest format in the long run.

 

[Bilal7]

Yes there is a comprehension fail. I was talking about ODIs and not Tests. Lol at him not being better than Shehzad and Kamran. He is twice the ODI opener both of them put together. Calling those two better than Rohit is another addition to your wonderful parallel universe. The three big FTBs of this era - Rohit, Warner and Guptill - are better than any ODI opener Pakistan has ever produced barring Saeed Anwar. It is fact that cannot be contested. Of course in your parallel universe, not only Shehzad and Kamran, but Farhat, Taufeeq, Butt and Wajahatullah Wasti were better ODI openers than these guys as well.



Babar also failed in Melbourne and Sydney, which were flat wickets by your admission.



Rahul is well ahead in Tests and T20Is. He has been behind Babar in ODIs because he has played 6 ODIs only. He can do everything Babar can + he is a better striker of the ball. It is obvious that he has more potential than Babar for ODIs. You can repeat yourself as many times as you like, but the facts are there for everyone to see. Had Rahul failed in Australia and Babar scored a hundred, you would have used that as conclusive evidence that Babar is a better Test batsman. However, it is not surprising that now that the shoe is on the other foot, you have a different stance. Your bias is well-known, and it does not surprise me anymore.



Yes I predicted that Australia will win that series, so what? You also had a genius prediction of Pakistan beating Australia in Australia 2-1 with Yasir running riot, but we got blanked and he was treated like a part-timer. I am not saying that Australia will beat Pakistan in the UAE, but my point is that you are taking them too lightly based on the 2014 series, because no other visiting team has been so helpless as they were in that series. It is safe to say that if they were to tour their again, they would compete better, just like every other team that have toured Pakistan in the UAE. Competing well doesn't equal winning. The 2014 UAE series was the most dominant series Pakistan have had in a long, long time. Apart form the first session in the first Test, they pretty much controlled proceedings throughout. It was a one-off affair.



Your head is so up Amla's that you have turned into an ostrich who refuses to accept facts even they are right in front of you.

It was a 45 over match and Pakistan scored 262. Shehzhad had scored a century at a SR of 90. In response, Amla scored 98 runs at a SR of 75 which was a very poor innings in context. The match was set-up by de Villiers who scored a 74 ball 45 and took the game away from Pakistan, but as usual, he got out at the wrong time without finishing the job himself.

When he got out, SA needed 36 from 38 balls with 6 wickets in hand. A complete walk in the park, when you have the 'second greatest ODI opener of all time' already at the crease who is supposedly seeing it like a football with 117 deliveries under his belt. That match shouldn't even have gone into the final over, but Amla scratched around because he couldn't hit big shots (which is a strength of his according to you.

Yes Duminy and Miller batted poorly as well, but they were knew at the crease. It is much harder to get going from the word go than it is after being out there for 40 overs. It was still manageable till the penultimate over but that is where Amla wasted four deliveries of Ajmal like a tailender, and made the equation 9 out of 6 which is not exactly straight-forward. It was a pathetic innings and he didn't set South Africa up for anything; he cost them the game with his inability to hit the big shots. In other words, he cost them the game due to his strength (according to you). I appreciate your sad and blind devotion to Amla, but please don't hide behind false narratives and Cricinfo commentary (probably someone from your school of thought made that ridiculous statement) when you clearly know that he cost SA the match.

If it was any other batsman except for Amla or Moeen, and God forbid if it was Kohli, you would have been all over him like a rash. Yes credit goes to the two chuckers Ajmal and Junaid for bowling well at the death, but any half-decent batsman would have taken his team home from that position, i.e. run a ball required after batting for over 110 deliveries. In fact, even for Amla's standards, it was a cakewalk. However, he simply choked which is no surprise because his legacy as the biggest ODI choker of his era has been set in stone.




For one final time, Babar HAS to improve his ball striking. Not just me, but most people on this forum and outside this forum have testified to it. It was a concern in the PSL as well where he got starts but as soon as the field spread and he had to play big shots, he almost always found a fielder in the deep. He has the potential to be a complete batsman and he won't be unless he improve his ball striking. Amla is not a complete Limited Overs batsman either, and his poor ball striking is the main reason why he has failed to be an ATG in Limited Overs.

The comprehension fail is on your end, not mine. Rohit's record whenever the ball moves an inch is absolutely pathetic and you are definitely better off having a Shehzad or Kamran in your team on a spicy pitch than you are having a Rohit. Of course, on a flat pitch against trundlers he's a total Bradman and better than Warner and Guptil but on a pitch with any sort of movement and he's rubbish. Rahul would have a poor career if he doesn't end up better than Rohit, who is nowhere near a great ODI batsman. Pakistan's opening slots have been their weakest by far so it is no great achievement if Rohit is better than the likes of Aamir Sohail, Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed. Our best batsmen bat in the middle.

He did but once again, not all flat pitches are created equal. The ones in that series were absolutely horrendous, so much so that they were universally panned, especially by the Australian team and efforts were made to make future pitches more balanced. Hence, the pitches in the Aus-SA and Aus-Pak were better.

The only reason Babar is not ahead of Rahul in tests is because he has only played six tests, almost all away from home. Give Babar the year and then see where he stands. No, Rahul cannot do everything Babar can because he cannot play the moving ball as well and he hasn't carried a team on his shoulders, like Babar has done in ODIs. Yes, Rahul's ball striking is better which is why I rate him ahead in T20s. He is not better in the other two formats.

For some reason you spouting some rubbish about Kamran being as good as Gilchrist is excusable because washed up ex-cricketer who probably doesn't even watch cricket anymore said it but the opinion of a cricinfo commentator is not good enough. Bravo, your double standards keep getting better and better. It was a difficult pitch and Amla played a crucial role to even get South Africa to that 9 off 6 equation. After that, the trio of Duminy, Miller and McLaren were trumped by Junaid and you need to treat it as such.

Yes, I predicted a series win for Pakistan in Australia but if you ask me now what I think will happen if Pakistan play Australia in Australia, I won't say that the result will be any different to what happened last time around. Yet, you, in typical fashion predict a different result. If you are doing a 360 and now believe that Pakistan will still win the series then zip it because India are probably going to lose the current one, which partly makes Pakistan the superior test team.

Do you not read? No one is arguing against the fact that Babar needs to improve as a batsman. Not just ball-striking, he needs to improve in every aspect if he wants to fulfill his potential. However, he is a complete batsman because while his ball striking is not the strongest, it is still decent and he can play in a variety of situations and conditions.

 

[Square Drive]

One can say that the only reason Babar is better than Rahul in ODIs is because Rahul hasn't played an ample amount of games.

One can also say that the ony reason Rahul is better than Babar in Tests is because Babar hasn't played an ample amount of games.

T20Is, Rahul's better and that's not really up for debate at this point, until Babar develops that extra gear (though Babar's consistency can put him ahead later on).

Therefore, it's better to wait 1-2 years and then judge overall.

 

[Bilal7]

One can say that the only reason Babar is better than Rahul in ODIs is because Rahul hasn't played an ample amount of games.

One can also say that the ony reason Rahul is better than Babar in Tests is because Babar hasn't played an ample amount of games.

T20Is, Rahul's better and that's not really up for debate at this point, until Babar develops that extra gear (though Babar's consistency can put him ahead later on).

Therefore, it's better to wait 1-2 years and then judge overall.

Agreed. This is pretty reasonable and I'll wait until the CT before making any further judgements.

 

[Muhammad10]

Young Kusal continues to impress. Brilliant prospect for Sri Lanka.

 

[Rayyman]

Babar and Kusal are the same age. Babar has played only one more match. Except Babar averages 50+ while Kusal only averages 34-odd.

Difference is conversion rate. Babar has 5 hundreds and 6 fifties while Kusal has 1 hundred and 10 fifties.

Still, both are great prospects for their respective countries, but Babar is slightly ahead atm.

 

[zain7077]

Babar Azam has now overtaken Kl Rahul and Kusal Mendis

I think it it quite evident that Babar Azam has now surpassed these two in terms of performance, runs, numbers and averages. He also seems the most assured of the lot at the crease, especially in LOI's. He also has 1000 more international runs than Rahul and nearing Mendis. I believe once he establishes himself in the test format he will be a part of the fab 4 or may lead the new pack of Babar Rahul Mendis Hope etc. as far as young batsman in the world are concerned I believe he is definitely the best in the world after QDK with no one coming close.

 

[zain7077]

I think it it quite evident that Babar Azam has now surpassed these two in terms of performance, runs, numbers and averages. He also seems the most assured of the lot at the crease, especially in LOI's. He also has 1000 more international runs than Rahul and nearing Mendis. I believe once he establishes himself in the test format he will be a part of the fab 4 or may lead the new pack of Babar Rahul Mendis Hope etc. as far as young batsman in the world are concerned I believe he is definitely the best in the world after QDK with no one coming close.

Rahul also warms the bench in Loi's

 

[kingusama92]

Depends on the format.

In ODIs, Babar Azam is on another level right now. KL Rahul fell apart against the Sri Lankans in August averaging 13.00 and Kusal Mendis averaged 14.25 in the same series.

The opposite rings true in Test cricket.

Let's see who can work on their issues first.

 

[babajee]

Once Babar announces himself in tests he will comfortably be leader of the pack. As of now he is clearly the best in ODI.

 

[zain7077]

One can say that the only reason Babar is better than Rahul in ODIs is because Rahul hasn't played an ample amount of games.

One can also say that the ony reason Rahul is better than Babar in Tests is because Babar hasn't played an ample amount of games.

T20Is, Rahul's better and that's not really up for debate at this point, until Babar develops that extra gear (though Babar's consistency can put him ahead later on).

Therefore, it's better to wait 1-2 years and then judge overall.

What do u think now?