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"I’ll go so far as to say, at the same age, Babar’s as good as Virat Kohli" : Mickey Arthur

Virat as we saw clearly has limitations too and he ain't no beast as the game in Sa showed that he didn't win his team any games in Sa. Now I know it's a team game but if he was so good he could have.... Just saying . Clearly has some limitations. Again just to be bit fair to Babar. Not saying now by any means that the original post validates any merit. But time is on babars side. We don't know if Virat will get another chance playing a test against Sa in Sa...
 
Age is just a number. We have seen emerging players playing really well initially at the beginning of their career and then slowly fading out. The best example is Umar Akmal.

To be as good as Kohli, Babar need to work really hard. Kohli’s fitness, running between the wickets, number of dot balls and most importantly scoring at 100+ SR and switching gears at the end of inning @200+ SR is some of the skills which Babar is clearly missing at the moment.
 
I think we should try to make Azam to look more like Kohli, PCB should do a BCCI and pressurize/negotiate/deal with the NZ board and local staff to make a standard T20 pitch next match. Remove the movement, swing and bounce on the pitch. Babar would definitely look like Kohli in the next game.
 
Forget about the NZ games. Just organize few more series against WI and SL. That would make Babar look like a Babbar Sher.


Hamstead_joy said:
I think we should try to make Azam to look more like Kohli, PCB should do a BCCI and pressurize/negotiate/deal with the NZ board and local staff to make a standard T20 pitch next match. Remove the movement, swing and bounce on the pitch. Babar would definitely look like Kohli in the next game.
Click to expand...
 
GrandMaster said:
Forget about the NZ games. Just organize few more series against WI and SL. That would make Babar look like a Babbar Sher.
Click to expand...

Why not organize series against India in New Zealand on these NZ pitches and play all of our left arm medium-pacers here. All of our trundlers would also look like a babbar sher and prolong their careers.
 
People are bashing baber as if kohli has never failed. Kohli scored 130 off 10 innings in eng
 
Nope. Virat Kohli is very far ahead of Babar. Virat is a one of a kind player. Babar CAN become a very good batsman.
 
Only dominating batsman should be compared with people like Kohli. I see lot of random comparisons going around.
 
This statement is still very true. For people with weak comprehension skills, this will obviously sound silly.

Babar at 22-23 >= Kohli at 22-23.
 
Bilal7 said:
This statement is still very true. For people with weak comprehension skills, this will obviously sound silly.

Babar at 22-23 >= Kohli at 22-23.
Click to expand...

I was more successful than Bill Gates at the age of 6. I had sold more lemonades than he did!
 
Bilal7 said:
This statement is still very true. For people with weak comprehension skills, this will obviously sound silly.

Babar at 22-23 >= Kohli at 22-23.
Click to expand...

Kohli at 23 was ranked #1 ODI batsman in the world
 
Bilal7 said:
This statement is still very true. For people with weak comprehension skills, this will obviously sound silly.

Babar at 22-23 >= Kohli at 22-23.
Click to expand...

True and Kohli was pretty average in the 2011 WC when he was Babar's age.

Even though most games were at home
 
Slog said:
oh my bad.
i thought he went as #1 to WC'11
Click to expand...

He entered the top 10 from November 2010, and was usually in the top five later on but didn't reach #1 till 2013. The likes of Amla/de Villiers/Sanga were hard to overtake.
 
Bilal7 said:
This statement is still very true. For people with weak comprehension skills, this will obviously sound silly.

Babar at 22-23 >= Kohli at 22-23.
Click to expand...


Kohli had a Test 100 at Perth , more Test runs , avg and had a odi avg that is same as Babar but over twice the no.of ODIs and that magical 183 chasing.

In what world is this the same as Babars current record.?
 
Unfair to bash Babar Azam here, he didn't compare himself to Kohli, the coach did.
 
Markhor said:
How dare you bring numbers into the discussion - this is meant to be an opportunity to lob grenades at the coach.

Well his detractors needed to vent as they were quiet for a few months.
Click to expand...

So you believe Babar Azam.is as good as Kohli?
 
"I’ll go so far as to say, at the same age, Babar’s as good as Vinod Kambli" : Mickey Arthur

Fixed :yk:asif:ashwin
 
Tusker said:
Kohli had a Test 100 at Perth , more Test runs , avg and had a odi avg that is same as Babar but over twice the no.of ODIs and that magical 183 chasing.

In what world is this the same as Babars current record.?
Click to expand...

I remember once upon a time I had raised a point in a thread that after 50 games Ashwin was >= Imran (batting and bowling wise) and PP (some of the same posters here) lost it. Now, the same rule applies to Babar. Oh the double standards I say!
 
cricketjoshila said:
So you believe Babar Azam.is as good as Kohli?
Click to expand...

Can you please employ some reading skills - Arthur was comparing Babar when Kohli was at the same age. And looking at those LOI numbers, you can see Arthur was comparing their average and SR.

Obviously he's not comparing them now.
 
It was unfair to compare him at the time, but he is still Pakistan's best bat whether you like it or not. Because of one bad series where almost everyone failed, he is being targeted despite some bad decisions and luck.
 
Rayyman said:
Tbf to Babar he hasn't played on the Indian flat tracks that Kohli gets the luxury of doing for most of his games.
Click to expand...

Indian 'flat' tracks all flat for all teams sir, and how much have other teams scored?
 
kuskash said:
Babar>>>>>>Kohli, because cricket is played only in one country, England
Click to expand...

Irrespective, people who kept saying he doesn't play against big opposition are wrong now coz he scored against England.
 
kuskash said:
Instead of enjoying Babar’s batting, you decided to bring Kohli in it. No matter which countries are playing, Pak fans’ obsession with Kohli and India is extreme.
Click to expand...

You guys take things so seriously yaar :facepalm:

Thoda mazaak bhi nahi kar sakte ab. :ssmith
 
Kohli should take this as an inspiration , try to get fit as soon as possible and score bucket loads of runs in England.
 
Arthur's trust in Babar answered in part today.
 
A travesty that he got injured. Could have scored a century tomorrow.
 
Hype train for young players is so high. Ridiculous tbh. Let Babar Azam be Babar Azam, not Kohli v2.0
 
He's done something that Kohli hasn't been able to do (actually play like a batsman in England). Babar is a runs machine and hopefully he keeps on perfroming like this so that these comparisons with Kohli don't stop anytime soon.
 
Already a hundred times better than Kohli in test cricket in England.
 
Kohli said:
Two years down the line. How's it going guys?

Is he anywhere near Kohli, The King?
Click to expand...

He is doing pretty good. He has been a consistent number 1 in T20s, somehow ahead of players like Kohli, Munro, Sharma, Finch etc., and i think he was number 1 in ODIs as well at some point. When he fails in ODIs Pakistan tends to fail as well. He is still improving in Tests. He played some very crucial knocks in our victory in Ireland and England. He has been averaging 55 this year. All looks good for now.

Having said all of that, Mickey shouldn't have said this and there shouldn't be any debate. Any sane person will tell you, even after having such a good start to his career, he is nowhere near Kohli and it's unlikely that he will even come close to him. Would love to be proven wrong.
 
Darkrai said:
He is doing pretty good. He has been a consistent number 1 in T20s, somehow ahead of players like Kohli, Munro, Sharma, Finch etc., and i think he was number 1 in ODIs as well at some point. When he fails in ODIs Pakistan tends to fail as well. He is still improving in Tests. He played some very crucial knocks in our victory in Ireland and England. He has been averaging 55 this year. All looks good for now.

Having said all of that, Mickey shouldn't have said this and there shouldn't be any debate. Any sane person will tell you, even after having such a good start to his career, he is nowhere near Kohli and it's unlikely that he will even come close to him. Would love to be proven wrong.
Click to expand...

When has Babar been no.1 in ODIs? I remember ABD, Warner and Kohli only for last 3 years.
 
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Darkrai said:
He is doing pretty good. He has been a consistent number 1 in T20s, somehow ahead of players like Kohli, Munro, Sharma, Finch etc., and i think he was number 1 in ODIs as well at some point. When he fails in ODIs Pakistan tends to fail as well. He is still improving in Tests. He played some very crucial knocks in our victory in Ireland and England. He has been averaging 55 this year. All looks good for now.

Having said all of that, Mickey shouldn't have said this and there shouldn't be any debate. Any sane person will tell you, even after having such a good start to his career, he is nowhere near Kohli and it's unlikely that he will even come close to him. Would love to be proven wrong.
Click to expand...

Babar has been #1 in ODIs with Kohli around? When?
 
My mistake, i wasn't sure that's why i said i think. Anyway Babar has been number 2, which is very impressive on its own.
 
Babar's ODI stats against top 5 teams are 37 Avg @SR 82.So, no, Kohli at 24 was better than Babar at 24 and Kohli had great peak since then till 2014 and then again from 2016 to present.

In tests, Babar is still establishing himself.So, no comparison there as well. T20 is not about averages and fastest to X runs, but impact, Strike Rate and ability to turn it on in a matter of time but to his credit, he is doing a good job for a Pakistan team but he is like a bridesmaid, not a bride in gully-danda cricket.
 
Although Babar will never be good as Kohli but how many are, or have been or will be. What i do like is that he has worked on his game and looks good. Babar needs to become like Bell in test matches with around 20 hundreds and an average of around 43.
 
Babar is definitely ahead of where Kohli was at the same age in LOIs. The upcoming matches in South Africa should tell us more, given that Kohli had a mediocre record in ODIs in that country until he was 30.
 
Bilal7 said:
Babar is definitely ahead of where Kohli was at the same age in LOIs. The upcoming matches in South Africa should tell us more, given that Kohli had a mediocre record in ODIs in that country until he was 30.
Click to expand...

Cant be bothered to waste time on this but I will summarize the difference between the two - You take out stats against the mighty WI and ZIM then Babars Avg will tank. to 40.7 and S/R to under 80. Whereas for Kohli the Avg and S/R both go up. This in a nutshell is the difference between the two and keep in mind that Babar never played against SA in SA yet whereas kohli had already played one series.

Babar:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/348144.html?class=2;template=results;type=batting

Without WI and ZIM
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting


Kohli:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Without WI and Zim
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2;spanval2=span;template=results;type=batting
 
Tusker said:
Cant be bothered to waste time on this but I will summarize the difference between the two - You take out stats against the mighty WI and ZIM then Babars Avg will tank. to 40.7 and S/R to under 80. Whereas for Kohli the Avg and S/R both go up. This in a nutshell is the difference between the two and keep in mind that Babar never played against SA in SA yet whereas kohli had already played one series.

Babar:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/348144.html?class=2;template=results;type=batting

Without WI and ZIM
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...orderby=default;template=results;type=batting


Kohli:
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

Without WI and Zim
http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...2;spanval2=span;template=results;type=batting
Click to expand...

Your links are not working for me but I assume these are Kohli's stats from before 2013, when he was around the same age as Babar. I also know that he had a higher average and SR than Babar does right now against the big teams but you have to realize that Babar does not have the luxury of batting with the likes of Sachin, Yuvraj and Dhoni like Kohli did.
 
Bilal7 said:
Your links are not working for me but I assume these are Kohli's stats from before 2013, when he was around the same age as Babar. I also know that he had a higher average and SR than Babar does right now against the big teams but you have to realize that Babar does not have the luxury of batting with the likes of Sachin, Yuvraj and Dhoni like Kohli did.
Click to expand...

People forget when the match situation is in batting teams favour the batsmen tend to score freely as the bowling team is under pressure and making mistakes. A good example of that is when younis and Misbah were playing azhar and Asad were making centuries left, right and centre but now we seldom see those scores anymore.
 
Bilal7 said:
Your links are not working for me but I assume these are Kohli's stats from before 2013, when he was around the same age as Babar. .
Click to expand...

The links are good atleast on the PC but SG is not mobile friendly. And yes they are Kohli at age 24 with and without WI & ZIM.

I also know that he had a higher average and SR than Babar does right now against the big teams but you have to realize that Babar does not have the luxury of batting with the likes of Sachin, Yuvraj and Dhoni like Kohli did.
Click to expand...

LMAO .. don't you also go around making loud claims of how Pakistan is a better team than India ? Let me tell you this - Babar would be lucky to even make it to the 2nd Indian XI. Moreover this luxury that you talk about is not really a luxury because there are plenty of good players who had the same luxury but couldn't put up consistent performances like Kohli. Eg: Raina.
 
Bilal7 said:
Babar is definitely ahead of where Kohli was at the same age in LOIs. The upcoming matches in South Africa should tell us more, given that Kohli had a mediocre record in ODIs in that country until he was 30.
Click to expand...

Babar is never ever going to be better than Kohli. Please just accept you were wrong.

I am a massive fan and staunch defender of Babar and even I am admitting he will never be as good as Kohli.
 
Bilal7 said:
Babar is definitely ahead of where Kohli was at the same age in LOIs. The upcoming matches in South Africa should tell us more, given that Kohli had a mediocre record in ODIs in that country until he was 30.
Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure Babar has better stats than Smith at the same age too. And by 19 years age, Sachin has better stats than Bradman. By the age of 15, Hasan Raza had better stats than Sachin. You get the gist of what Mickey says now. Pointless and doesn't mean anything.
 
He's probably right. But when I was 5, I was as good of a batsman as Kohli too. Age comparisons are meaningless.
 
Tusker said:
The links are good atleast on the PC but SG is not mobile friendly. And yes they are Kohli at age 24 with and without WI & ZIM.



LMAO .. don't you also go around making loud claims of how Pakistan is a better team than India ? Let me tell you this - Babar would be lucky to even make it to the 2nd Indian XI. Moreover this luxury that you talk about is not really a luxury because there are plenty of good players who had the same luxury but couldn't put up consistent performances like Kohli. Eg: Raina.
Click to expand...

Over the last 10-12 years, India's batting has definitely been superior, especially in ODIs. When have I said otherwise?

Raina was never as good as Babar, him not becoming a 50-averaging batsman means nothing. If you think that anyone would select Rayudu over Babar Azam to bat at #3 or #4 in ODIs, then I don't want to waste my time discussing this with you.

rhony said:
I'm pretty sure Babar has better stats than Smith at the same age too. And by 19 years age, Sachin has better stats than Bradman. By the age of 15, Hasan Raza had better stats than Sachin. You get the gist of what Mickey says now. Pointless and doesn't mean anything.
Click to expand...

It's not useless, it tells us about the comparative talent of the players in question as well as where they might end up in the future.
 
cricketjoshila said:
So you believe Babar Azam.is as good as Kohli?
Click to expand...

Markhor said:
Can you please employ some reading skills - Arthur was comparing Babar when Kohli was at the same age. And looking at those LOI numbers, you can see Arthur was comparing their average and SR.

Obviously he's not comparing them now.
Click to expand...

People clearly missing what Mickey said here.

Kohli was not his today's self when he was 23.

Babar is close to what Kohli was at the age of 23.

That does not mean Babar at 28 will be what Kohli was at 28.

At this time and age comparison, he's certainly close.
 
Bilal7 said:
Over the last 10-12 years, India's batting has definitely been superior, especially in ODIs. When have I said otherwise?
Click to expand...

Go look at your posts on the other thread where you keep saying how Pakistan is the only team that could challenge India in Tests at home. If anything that is even more difficult to do than ODIs lol. And then you have repeatedly used the 2012 series result to prove how Pakistans was and will always be a superior team to India in ODIs as well.

http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/s...greatest-home-team-ever&p=9994269#post9994269

Raina was never as good as Babar, him not becoming a 50-averaging batsman means nothing. If you think that anyone would select Rayudu over Babar Azam to bat at #3 or #4 in ODIs, then I don't want to waste my time discussing this with you.
Click to expand...

I will give you a better examples - Rohit Sharma. It took him forever to get his ODI avg above 35 and still cant find a place in Indias Test side consistently. He actually started before Kohli. Another Example - Rahane. These are all faar better player than Babar.
 
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[MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]

IND is a solid ODI team, much better than ours.

Unfortunately you're mistaken that the same would apply when it comes to playing Pak.

Pak would beat IND 7/10 times currently in Tests. Worse, it's 50/50.
 
Hawkeye said:
[MENTION=134300]Tusker[/MENTION]

IND is a solid ODI team, much better than ours.

Unfortunately you're mistaken that the same would apply when it comes to playing Pak.

Pak would beat IND 7/10 times currently in Tests. Worse, it's 50/50.
Click to expand...

How did you get to that figure? Even if we look at the history the Test contest has never been lopsided. It is 12-9 to Pakistan, in spite of them being the superior team for the most of last 4 decades. So with current teams evenly matched or India slightly ahead in Asia how do you think Pakistan can beat India 7 times out of 10?
 
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