Imran Khan vs Kapil Dev : The Ultimate Comparison

[Slog]

First some basic career stats:



As you can see from a statistical point of view Imran Khan is far ahead of Kapil Dev.

If you look at their records as captain, Imran is so far ahead that its not even funny. Those numbers while playing as captain are GOAT numbers. One thing that is very important to remember is that Imran often skipped series against New Zealand (post Hadlee) , Sri Lanka, etc as they werent the best teams and he didnt want to waste his time minnow bashing. These also happened to be home series so he could have padded his stats up if he wanted

Anyways now lets go in detail. First lets look at the batting and the comments



Now the bowling:




Imran definitely is ahead miles in this respect overall with his creditable record everywhere and really turning it up against arch rivals India. Kapil seemed to have choked against Pakistan big time and struggled for recognition as far as batting is concerned in most places. His record against Windies is credible but on the basis of one series in Windies which is hard to overturn stretches of mediocrity elsewhere

In terms of bowling, Imran dominates Kapil everywhere. Kapil's one bright spot is against Windies but Imran too had a lot of success against them so it evens out there. Kapil seems to have choked against Pakistan again

There is no argument.

In Tests. Imran >>> Kapil by a country mile

 

[The_Odd_One]

No needs for all these tables.

Kapil is better because he bowled some 8000 balls with better average, had a better batting SR in tests that too in <b>drawn</b> games.

Imran was 90% of the batsman than Kapil while Kapil was 85% of the bowler than Imran.

85% > 90%, it is simple math!

 

[Sidilicious]

The better all rounder comparison would be that of Imran vs Kallis.

Sobers takes the top spot. Kallis and Immy fight for the 2nd.

In tests, Kapil is after the above trio and, Miller and Botham.

 

[Arham_PakFan]

IK is way better than Kapil.He is second only to Sir Garry Sobers.

 

[Square Drive]

No needs for all these tables.

Kapil is better because he bowled some 8000 balls with better average, had a better batting SR in tests that too in <b>drawn</b> games.

Imran was 90% of the batsman than Kapil while Kapil was 85% of the bowler than Imran.

85% > 90%, it is simple math!

Yeah, after all, it's all about stats eh?

 

[Slog]

[MENTION=94469]Feroz Rawther[/MENTION]

 

[jusarrived]

Imran is better overall , but I dont understand why bring in their stats as captains . I have never seen this being used for other player .

 

[Sachin136]

Your post doesn't even mention the reason Kapil's batting is rated highly (his strike rate).

 

[endymion248]

The better all rounder comparison would be that of Imran vs Kallis.

Sobers takes the top spot. Kallis and Immy fight for the 2nd.

In tests, Kapil is after the above trio and, Miller and Botham.

Not really possible to compare one of the greatest bowlers ever (Imran) to one of the greatest batsmen ever (Sobers). Saying that Sobers was better than Imran would just mean that you value batsmen more than bowlers.

I think that the comparison makes more sense if you make a distinction between bowling all-rounders and batting all-rounders.

Imran is the greatest bowling all-rounder of all times without the shadow of a doubt.

 

[Belawal2014]

Your post doesn't even mention the reason Kapil's batting is rated highly (his strike rate).

In tests? Clutching at straws, mate.

 

[The_Odd_One]

In tests? Clutching at straws, mate.

And check how many of them were drawn.

 

[Mp812]

Well stats aside. Kapil as captain won world cup for India a decade before Imran managed to do so. On that basis..

 

[UpInTheAir]

I still feel Afridi was a more impact player, even in his short lived test career.

Sent from pone

 

[Mp812]

Well stats aside. Kapil as captain won world cup for India a decade before Imran managed to do so. On that basis..

Never mind I saw the tests part later.

 

[muzzy]

No needs for all these tables.

Kapil is better because he bowled some 8000 balls with better average, had a better batting SR in tests that too in <b>drawn</b> games.

Imran was 90% of the batsman than Kapil while Kapil was 85% of the bowler than Imran.

85% > 90%, it is simple math!

you being sarcastic??

 

[Feroz Rawther]

First some basic career stats:

View attachment 67884

As you can see from a statistical point of view Imran Khan is far ahead of Kapil Dev.

If you look at their records as captain, Imran is so far ahead that its not even funny. Those numbers while playing as captain are GOAT numbers. One thing that is very important to remember is that Imran often skipped series against New Zealand (post Hadlee) , Sri Lanka, etc as they werent the best teams and he didnt want to waste his time minnow bashing. These also happened to be home series so he could have padded his stats up if he wanted

Anyways now lets go in detail. First lets look at the batting and the comments

View attachment 67885

Now the bowling:

View attachment 67886


Imran definitely is ahead miles in this respect overall with his creditable record everywhere and really turning it up against arch rivals India. Kapil seemed to have choked against Pakistan big time and struggled for recognition as far as batting is concerned in most places. His record against Windies is credible but on the basis of one series in Windies which is hard to overturn stretches of mediocrity elsewhere

In terms of bowling, Imran dominates Kapil everywhere. Kapil's one bright spot is against Windies but Imran too had a lot of success against them so it evens out there. Kapil seems to have choked against Pakistan again

There is no argument.

In Tests. Imran >>> Kapil by a country mile

i do not have any thing more to say....i had conveyed my reasons all ready in the earlier topic.in short you have just split pure stats with out taking into account the context they played in.For instance, just like somebody claiming that Imran's bowl avg:/Kapil's bowl avg: = 22.81/29.64 = 76.95 only.
So Kapil was only a 77% bowler as that of Imran.But here the problem is that
Kapil's longevity , work density & lack of bowling support etc are all neglected.
The stats you put is one such case. Just splitting plain avg:es ...As i always believe plain avg:s just do not reveal any thing.

 

[Belawal2014]

i do not have any thing more to say....i had conveyed my reasons all ready in the earlier topic.in short you have just split pure stats with out taking into account the context they played in.For instance, just like somebody claiming that Imran's bowl avg:/Kapil's bowl avg: = 22.81/29.64 = 76.95 only.
So Kapil was only a 77% bowler as that of Imran.But here the problem is that
Kapil's longevity , work density & lack of bowling support etc are all neglected.
The stats you put is one such case. Just splitting plain avg:es ...As i always believe plain avg:s just do not reveal any thing.

Do you also think that SRT was better than Don?

 

[Feroz Rawther]

went thru some posters showering sarcasm on me.
For them once more

Can't rate lmran at more than 90% a batsman to Kapil because of 4 basic points.
1. Imran's bat avg: is hugely inflated thru not outs.It's value is worth around 35-35.25 at the most only.
2.Kapil's str: rate in first 126-130 inns was 84.4( Imran's was only 5 more than half as that of Kapil at 47.52).
3.Their record in WI was poles apart(bat avg: ,str: rate & impact inns combined)
4.Quality of big inns played by Kapil was on the avg: 2 levels above to that of Imran.

In bowling if we remove longevity itself Kapil's avg: falls to 28.86. So efffective ness is 22.81/28.86 = 79%
Now add workload(truly refelcted by that non stop cricket immediately after his injury & surgery),lack of support bowl strength, more weightage to str: rate in tests,more weightage to figures in non minnow abroad
countries, clean chit w.r.t morality add adds up easily another 6% that takes up to more than 85%. Simple
That is enough for me.

 

[Feroz Rawther]

Do you also think that SRT was better than Don?

No ...

 

[Belawal2014]

No ...

Shukar hai.

 

[Feroz Rawther]

Shukar hai.

Don was so ahead of his contemporaries. can't neglect that

 

[Slog]

i do not have any thing more to say....i had conveyed my reasons all ready in the earlier topic.in short you have just split pure stats with out taking into account the context they played in.For instance, just like somebody claiming that Imran's bowl avg:/Kapil's bowl avg: = 22.81/29.64 = 76.95 only.
So Kapil was only a 77% bowler as that of Imran.But here the problem is that
Kapil's longevity , work density & lack of bowling support etc are all neglected.
The stats you put is one such case. Just splitting plain avg:es ...As i always believe plain avg:s just do not reveal any thing.

They are not plain averages

I've out context to each of those numbers and how they achieved them

 

[Slog]

Your post doesn't even mention the reason Kapil's batting is rated highly (his strike rate).

This is a thread about test cricket

 

[Slog]

Imran is better overall , but I dont understand why bring in their stats as captains . I have never seen this being used for other player .

Many people do

Shows how well they can handle pressure

 

[Sachin136]

This is a thread about test cricket

I saw that later. But going through what people have said about his innings (and some have recorded balls faced), he scored very fast in tests too.

 

[Mamoon]

Imran was better in Tests; Kapil was better in ODIs.

Achievements in Test cricket tower over achievements in ODI cricket, so overall Imran is the greater player.

A Test-only comparison sounds needless to me because there is no competition between the two - Imran is far ahead.

Kapil however, is underrated as a Test cricketer on PP significantly. Just because he was inferior to Imran doesn't mean that he wasn't a brilliant cricketer himself.

Comfortably an ATG as well.

 

[IAJ]

Was there ever doubts about who is better overall?

 

[Tusker]

Was this comparison never done before on PP ??

 

[Hasan123]

Imran is the better player in tests and Kapil is better in LOI. End of discussion for me. Both great cricketers for there countries.

 

[Anfield]

Kapil was a good alrounder but no way near Imran's class. There is gulf gap between their bowling averages.

 

[Bilal7]

Imran was ahead by a mile. Might as well start comparing Zaheer Khan to Wasim Akram.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Imran was miles ahead in Tests. Kapil was miles ahead in ODIs. Both were legends.

 

[Bilal7]

Imran Khan was also the better ODI all-rounder. Just in case some people were day-dreaming.

Kapil could never play an innings like Imran did in the '92 World Cup final, nor was he as good a bowler.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Imran Khan was also the better ODI all-rounder. Just in case some people were day-dreaming.

Kapil could never play an innings like Imran did in the '92 World Cup final, nor was he as good a bowler.

Whatever makes you happy.

 

[Abdullah719]

This isn't really much of a debate when there are only 1 or 2 people on one side of the argument with the whole world on the other side. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

 

[Feroz Rawther]

They are not plain averages

I've out context to each of those numbers and how they achieved them

This is not called context. You have only given the details of each of their performances in each country both in batting & bowling.


Context are the circumstances they played in which i have already explained in details and how that have affected their avg:es positively or negatively.

For instance Kapil in the company of weaker bowlers thru out his career is called a context.

 

[angrypathan]

Imran Khan was also the better ODI all-rounder. Just in case some people were day-dreaming.

Kapil could never play an innings like Imran did in the '92 World Cup final, nor was he as good a bowler.

And Imran could never play an innings of 175 like Kapil did.

 

[Belawal2014]

This is not called context. You have only given the details of each of their performances in each country both in batting & bowling.


Context are the circumstances they played in which i have already explained in details and how that have affected their avg:es positively or negatively.

For instance Kapil in the company of weaker bowlers thru out his career is called a context.

And Imran had to share his wickets with 'strong' bowlers, there goes your 'context' out the window.

 

[dani2k]

No doubt Imran was a better test cricketer..but our Kapil paaji had something extra.

He held world records both in batting (highest ODI score) and bowling (highest test wickets) over a period of time.

Which allrounder of his era (no matter how superior they are to him) can claim this feat?

 

[ethan hunt]

Imran is obviously way superior in test cricket .
But why do some people claim that kapil was better in ODIs , his batting stats are afridisque ?? Just because he was reckless doesn't make him.better.

 

[street cricketer]

Calm down man !!!
By afridiesque i meant that his batting average is the same as Afridi but a much lesser strikerate .
Let me know if it isnt true.

The problem with a lot of people is that they never take into consideration the numerous evolutionary changes the ODI game has undergone over the years and just compare players with raw stats..

It will give you a flawed perception when you compare players across generations..

 

[ethan hunt]

The problem with a lot of people is that they never take into consideration the numerous evolutionary changes the ODI game has undergone over the years and just compare players with raw stats..

It will give you a flawed perception when you compare players across generations..

A batting average of 23 is/was ordinary in any era .
Am i wrong ???

 

[ethan hunt]

Imran fans believing Imran can never be inferior in anything.

Sounds familiar?

Oh nahi bhai .
Wasim for example was a greater odi cricketer than imran .

 

[Feroz Rawther]

And Imran had to share his wickets with 'strong' bowlers, there goes your 'context' out the window.

A bowler being in a weak bowling line up means his opposition team more often that not ends up remaining either achieving huge scores by either getting all out or by only losing a certain amount of wickets. On the other hand, him being a part of a very strong bowling unit means the chance of getting the opposition team all out for cheap scores twice in a test increases many fold.
Hence more chances of getting wkts & more chances of him not going for bucket loads of runs.

 

[street cricketer]

A batting average of 23 is/was ordinary in any era .
Am i wrong ???

Would hold true if Kapil had batted in the top order.

Kapil mostly batted in the no.6 position. An afridiesque player cannot come in at 17/5 situation (78/7) and take his side to a 265 total in the world cup semifinal playing mostly with bowlers/tailenders.

Now take into consideration the impact of his strike rare in that age. Kapil had the best strike rate for a batsman (>1k runs) in the 70s and 80s. Kapil had a strike rate of 101. He next best was Viv with a sr of 90.

 

[ethan hunt]

Would hold true if Kapil had batted in the top order.

Kapil mostly batted in the no.6 position. An afridiesque player cannot come in at 17/5 situation (78/7) and take his side to a 265 total in the world cup semifinal playing mostly with bowlers/tailenders.

Now take into consideration the impact of his strike rare in that age. Kapil had the best strike rate for a batsman (>1k runs) in the 70s and 80s. Kapil had a strike rate of 101. He next best was Viv with a sr of 90.

What is afridi and razzaq's batting average at number 7 and 8 ??

There have been numerous occasions where these two players have taken the side too a respectable / winning position from a dire situation .

Sounds like a great innings to play in the semifinal of a worldcup.

 

[street cricketer]

What is afridi and razzaq's batting average at number 7 and 8 ??

There have been numerous occasions where these two players have taken the side too a respectable / winning position from a dire situation .

Sounds like a great innings to play in the semifinal of a worldcup.

Brother, Razzaq and Afridi were from the next generation.

You have to compare the records of the other no.6 during Kapil's era in the 70s and the 80s.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...9;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

 

[Sidilicious]

Not really possible to compare one of the greatest bowlers ever (Imran) to one of the greatest batsmen ever (Sobers). Saying that Sobers was better than Imran would just mean that you value batsmen more than bowlers.

I think that the comparison makes more sense if you make a distinction between bowling all-rounders and batting all-rounders.

Imran is the greatest bowling all-rounder of all times without the shadow of a doubt.

They are both all rounders. An all rounder in the perfect sense, is a player who can get into a team purely as a batsman and purely as a bowler. Not many players can claim that for the whole of a career. Probably for only a short period of their careers. Even Imran or Sobers cannot claim to have done this through out their careers. I would say only Miller comes close, but I do not know enough to back that up. I would appreciate it if an Aussie could comment more on Miller. [MENTION=132373]Convict[/MENTION]?

So, the next most common definition of an all-rounder who gets into the team (for a whole career) as either a main batsman or bowler, and plays as the 5th bowler or a 6th batsman (which ever is their second suit). When you take that into account, Sobers is the best of the lot to be a great throughout as a batsman and deliver with the ball too. Then its Imran or Kallis.

There is a difference between a bowling all rounder and a batting all rounder, but not a significant difference to categorise them separately.

 

[Sidilicious]

Imran Khan was also the better ODI all-rounder. Just in case some people were day-dreaming.

Kapil could never play an innings like Imran did in the '92 World Cup final, nor was he as good a bowler.

Kapil has possibly the greatest innings in a world cup. And what about Imran in the world cup?
Averaged 30 with a SR of 52. Was not even in the top 5 run scorers for Pakistan. Only had 7 wickets at an Average of 35 throughout out the world cup.

 

[ethan hunt]

Brother, Razzaq and Afridi were from the next generation.

You have to compare the records of the other no.6 during Kapil's era in the 70s and the 80s.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/en...9;spanval1=span;template=results;type=batting

You said his low average was a result of batting at 6 .
Well he averages his best at number 6 but has only played 50 odd matches in that number .
So i dont think batting averages are an issue here . Agree about the different eras ofcourse.

 

[ethan hunt]

Kapil has possibly the greatest innings in a world cup. And what about Imran in the world cup?
Averaged 30 with a SR of 52. Was not even in the top 5 run scorers for Pakistan. Only had 7 wickets at an Average of 35 throughout out the world cup.

Why do you consider it the greatest innings at a worldcup for example Imran nazir has also scored 170 odd against zimbabwe in a group stage of a worldcup.
So why do you rate this innings over some great innings played in semi finals and finals over the years ??

 

[Sidilicious]

Many people do

Shows how well they can handle pressure

The fact that Kapil led an under dog team to defend 183 against the mightiest side of their time counts for nothing? A Kapil led team won the world cup, and were the only team to defeat the Windes in the first 3 word cups. India had only one decent bowler in Kapil himself, and a couple of great batsman in the 80s - Gavaskar and to an extent Amarnath and Vengsakar.

Pakistan had a team of great bowlers in Imran, Qadir, Wasim and possibly Mudassar Nazar in the 80s, and a batting line up that consisted of Miandad and Zaheer Abbas. Clearly, they had a better team. And you expect this Indian side to win more then the Pakistani side of the 80s?

I don't have a problem with agreeing to the fact that Imran was a superior test all rounder to Kapil. There are no two ways about it. But the idea that Imran was the greatest captain is absurd and is not backed by logical thinking.

 

[Sidilicious]

Why do you consider it the greatest innings at a worldcup for example Imran nazir has also scored 170 odd against zimbabwe in a group stage of a worldcup.
So why do you rate this innings over some great innings played in semi finals and finals over the years ??

I said its possibly one of the greatest innings, not THE greatest.

Firstly, there is no comparison between Nazir's innings and Kapil innings. Using Nazir's innings to bring down Kapil's innings shows bias or a lack of understanding about cricket. Nazir's innings if not comparable because

1. There is no comparison between the Zimbabwe of 1983 to that of 2007. The one in 2007 had tied a match with Ireland, whereas the one in 1983 had beaten the Aussies.
2. Kapil came in at the score of 9/4 and India went to 17/5, before his 175.
3. Pakistan were already out of the world cup by then. India needed to win that match to stay in the World. A tournament they went on to win.

There are many other reasons, but I think its clear that Kapils innings is the greatest World Cup innings in the group stages. There are other innings which would challenge Kapils innings for the greatest world cup innings
1. Ponting vs India 2003 final
2. Clive Lloyd 1975 WC final
3. De Silva World cup final

Finally, by any stretch of imagination, no neutral observer would claim Imran's 92 final innings to be greater than Kapil's 175.

 

[street cricketer]

You said his low average was a result of batting at 6 .
Well he averages his best at number 6 but has only played 50 odd matches in that number .
So i dont think batting averages are an issue here . Agree about the different eras ofcourse.

Bhai I give up.

Afridi and Razzaq were better all rounders than Kapil, and so was Imran in ODIs..

 

[Zak_Fan]

Kapil as a bowler, batsman or all-rounder was consistently rated higher than Imran, yet somehow Imran is the better ODI player. Imranistas at their best.

 

[ethan hunt]

I said its possibly one of the greatest innings, not THE greatest.

Firstly, there is no comparison between Nazir's innings and Kapil innings. Using Nazir's innings to bring down Kapil's innings shows bias or a lack of understanding about cricket. Nazir's innings if not comparable because

1. There is no comparison between the Zimbabwe of 1983 to that of 2007. The one in 2007 had tied a match with Ireland, whereas the one in 1983 had beaten the Aussies.
2. Kapil came in at the score of 9/4 and India went to 17/5, before his 175.
3. Pakistan were already out of the world cup by then. India needed to win that match to stay in the World. A tournament they went on to win.

There are many other reasons, but I think its clear that Kapils innings is the greatest World Cup innings in the group stages. There are other innings which would challenge Kapils innings for the greatest world cup innings
1. Ponting vs India 2003 final
2. Clive Lloyd 1975 WC final
3. De Silva World cup final

Finally, by any stretch of imagination, no neutral observer would claim Imran's 92 final innings to be greater than Kapil's 175.

Fair enough !!
I agree that it was a great innings like inzi against bangladesh in multan .

 

[#GreenRoars]

In Test, yes IK Was better than KD.
Just wondering, some posters saying KD stats are bad due to his longevity. But on the other hand, longevity can also help you to improve you stats.

 

[ethan hunt]

Bhai I give up.

Afridi and Razzaq were better all rounders than Kapil, and so was Imran in ODIs..

Yaar aap naraaz hi ho gaye ho .
Mera legitimate question tha

 

[ethan hunt]

Kapil as a bowler, batsman or all-rounder was consistently rated higher than Imran, yet somehow Imran is the better ODI player. Imranistas at their best.

Imran has a consistently better record .
Hafeez and ajmal were rated higher than most indian bowlers too even the strike bowlers .

 

[Sidilicious]

Kapil as a bowler, batsman or all-rounder was consistently rated higher than Imran, yet somehow Imran is the better ODI player. Imranistas at their best.

Imran was clearly the better test all rounder, but putting stats and context together one can come to the conclusion that Kapil was a slightly better ODI all rounder than Imran. Since test was the pinnacle of sport in their times, I dont have a problem in admitting that overall Imran was a better all rounder than Kapil.

Another absurd fact is using Imran's captaincy record to put Kapil's captaincy record down.
Firstly, neither consider then teams Kapil and Imran had at their disposal.

Secondly, the myth that Pakistan's 92 WC win was somehow greater than India's 83 win. Given the fact that India were the underdogs throughout and had to beat the greatest team of their generation is forgotten. The fact that a Kapil inspired team defended a paltry 183 in a WC final against the likes of Viv (the greatest ODI batsman as per the latest PP poll), Lloyd, Greenindge and Haynes is not taken into consideration. The same WI team had a bowling attack of Holding, Garner, Marshall and Roberts is not important. The same Indian team beat the WI twice in 3 matches in the WC. Who was the top team in 92 WC? If anything there were no overwhelming favourites and man to man, Pakistan were in the top 3 sides of the WC.

 

[street cricketer]

Imran has a consistently better record .
Hafeez and ajmal were rated higher than most indian bowlers too even the strike bowlers .

What do you mean by a consistently better record bhai?

 

[Sidilicious]

BTW, this is a thread for test matches. If we need to compare them in ODIs, we should open another thread.

 

[ethan hunt]

What do you mean by a consistently better record bhai?

Better average as a bowler , a better strike rate .
An average difference of about 10 runs as a batsman .
Kapil has a superior batting strikerate.
I am not a fan of stats but still wondering why .

 

[Slog]

Imran was miles ahead in Tests. Kapil was miles ahead in ODIs. Both were legends.

Imran was miles ahead, in a different Galaxy to Kapil in Tests

Kapil has a case to be better than Imran in ODIS

Don't make t seem like the gulf in the two formats is similar

 

[Sidilicious]

Imran was miles ahead, in a different Galaxy to Kapil in Tests

Kapil has a case to be better than Imran in ODIS

Don't make t seem like the gulf in the two formats is similar

Mate, since you are the owner of this thread, could you also please open another thread for ODIs. The two formats are different and should not be mixed when comparing the better all-rounder.

OR take out the test from the title and make this an ODI + Test comparison.

Having said that, since in their era, Tests were the pinnacle of the sport, the better test all rounder should be considered the better all rounder.

 

[street cricketer]

Better average as a bowler , a better strike rate .
An average difference of about 10 runs as a batsman .
Kapil has a superior batting strikerate.
I am not a fan of stats but still wondering why .

So you explain me why Kapil was ranked the no.1 all rounder for almost ten years while Imran was ranked for all of two months in his career as the no.1 all rounder in ODIs..

Imranistas at it again

 

[Mamoon]

No one can claim that Imran was a better ODI cricketer than Kapil unless you are super biased.

ODI cricket is all about impact, and Kapil was more impactful given his batting style and his superb fielding.

He led India to a World Cup win at the age of 24 with a mediocre team against West Indies at the top of their game who were looking to win their third straight World Cup.

It is still the biggest upset in World Cup final history and India's 83 triumph to this day, remains the greatest World Cup win.

Imran couldn't do it in the 80's when West Indies were at their peak and had to come out of retirement and wait till the age of 40 to achieve what Kapil achieved at the age of 24.

Imran played a good hand in the 92 final but nearly lost us the semifinal with his batting, before Inzamam bailed him out.

However, what Kapil did in Kent on June 18, 1983 was the stuff of gods.

Also, let's ignore the fact that Kapil was ranked the number one ODI all-rounder for almost a decade and we had four quality all-rounders playing including Imran.

Imran vs Kapil in ODIs is a no-contest, just like Imran vs Kapil in Tests is a no-contest.

Kapil Paaji is the greatest all-round ODI cricketer to ever emerge from the subcontinent.

There isn't a better package of bowling, batting, fielding, captaincy and Punjabi aggression.

 

[Zak_Fan]

Imran was miles ahead, in a different Galaxy to Kapil in Tests

Kapil has a case to be better than Imran in ODIS

Don't make t seem like the gulf in the two formats is similar

Kapil has a case? Now you sound as deluded as that Indian poster adamant on proving Kapil a better Test player. Kapil was clearly a superior ODI player and the fact that Imran could hardly ever catch up with Kapil in ratings should tell you about who was ahead.

 

[ethan hunt]

Kapil has a case? Now you sound as deluded as that Indian poster adamant on proving Kapil a better Test player. Kapil was clearly a superior ODI player and the fact that Imran could hardly ever catch up with Kapil in ratings should tell you about who was ahead.

Imran has a better batting and bowling record
Better average as a bowler , better strike rate
Batter average as a batsman .
More 50s in about fifty less matches .

 

[Zak_Fan]

Imran has a better batting and bowling record
Better average as a bowler , better strike rate
Batter average as a batsman .
More 50s in about fifty less matches .

And yet all his career, he couldn't match Kapil's ratings. Why did that happen? Srini or BCCI?

 

[ethan hunt]

No one can claim that Imran was a better ODI cricketer than Kapil unless you are super biased.

ODI cricket is all about impact, and Kapil was more impactful given his batting style and his superb fielding.

He led India to a World Cup win at the age of 24 with a mediocre team against West Indies at the top of their game who were looking to win their third straight World Cup.

It is still the biggest upset in World Cup final history and India's 83 triumph to this day, remains the greatest World Cup win.

Imran couldn't do it in the 80's when West Indies were at their peak and had to come out of retirement and wait till the age of 40 to achieve what Kapil achieved at the age of 24.

Imran played a good hand in the 92 final but nearly lost us the semifinal with his batting, before Inzamam bailed him out.

However, what Kapil did in Kent on June 18, 1983 was the stuff of gods.

Also, let's ignore the fact that Kapil was ranked the number one ODI all-rounder for almost a decade and we had four quality all-rounders playing including Imran.

Imran vs Kapil in ODIs is a no-contest, just like Imran vs Kapil in Tests is a no-contest.

Kapil Paaji is the greatest all-round ODI cricketer to ever emerge from the subcontinent.

There isn't a better package of bowling, batting, fielding, captaincy and Punjabi aggression.

What impact ??
He has the same number of 100s and 5 less fifties than imran having played 60 more matches .
What is this impact that you talk of ??

 

[ethan hunt]

And yet all his career, he couldn't match Kapil's ratings. Why did that happen? Srini or BCCI?

His odi appearances were sporadic.
Played 60 less matches ??
Are you ok with hafeez being ranked higher than indian strike bowlers in odi cricket i assume ??

 

[Slog]

Kapil has a case? Now you sound as deluded as that Indian poster adamant on proving Kapil a better Test player. Kapil was clearly a superior ODI player and the fact that Imran could hardly ever catch up with Kapil in ratings should tell you about who was ahead.

Yes Imran can hold a candle to Kapil statistically in ODIs and was clearly the superior bowler in that format

Imran eats Kapils lunch and dinner in Tests and it's a no contest

 

[Slog]

Mate, since you are the owner of this thread, could you also please open another thread for ODIs. The two formats are different and should not be mixed when comparing the better all-rounder.

OR take out the test from the title and make this an ODI + Test comparison.

Having said that, since in their era, Tests were the pinnacle of the sport, the better test all rounder should be considered the better all rounder.

I'll do a part two for ODIs soon and do same analysis and out extra weightage in World Cups and World Championships games and let's see who comes up top holistically

 

[Sidilicious]

Yes Imran can hold a candle to Kapil statistically in ODIs and was clearly the superior bowler in that format

Imran eats Kapils lunch and dinner in Tests and it's a no contest

Agreed. Imran was clearly the superior test all rounder. But, Kapil was slightly better in ODIs

 

[street cricketer]

Yes Imran can hold a candle to Kapil statistically in ODIs and was clearly the superior bowler in that format

Imran eats Kapils lunch and dinner in Tests and it's a no contest

How was Imran "clearly" the superior bowler in ODIs?

 

[Sidilicious]

Yes Imran can hold a candle to Kapil statistically in ODIs and was clearly the superior bowler in that format

Imran eats Kapils lunch and dinner in Tests and it's a no contest

Imran was not the superior ODI bowler. Kapil and Imran had extremely comparable ODI bowling records.

 

[Slog]

How was Imran "clearly" the superior bowler in ODIs?

WC average of 19 vs WC average of 32

Though Kapil does compare in most other metrics in ODIs

I'll check in detail later

 

[Mamoon]

What impact ??
He has the same number of 100s and 5 less fifties than imran having played 60 more matches .
What is this impact that you talk of ??

He had a SR of 95 in the 1980s, when most batsmen did not have a SR of more than 70.

He was a very dangerous batsman and managed to take the game away from the opposition and influenced the outcome of the match more.

Imran was the more reliable batsman but he was just another consolidator in the team. He did not pose much threat to the opposition bowlers and had his limitations with the bat, which almost lost us the 92 semifinal.

Because of Kapil's more impactful batting, he was consistently ranked as the number one ODI all-rounder in Imran's era.

Both all-rounders had their qualities and attributes.

Imran was an attritional cricketer with superb cricketing brain and great temparement, who did not mind not winning as long as he wasn't losing, that's why he led the team to many draws in Tests and managed to challenge the legendary West Indian team in Test cricket.

Kapil on the other hand was a player full of flair and agression, who had the attack-at-all-costs mentality, which is why he captained India to a World Cup win at the age of 24 and managed to prevent West Indies from winning three straight titles.

 

[ethan hunt]

He had a SR of 95 in the 1980s, when most batsmen did not have a SR of more than 70.

He was a very dangerous batsman and managed to take the game away from the opposition and influenced the outcome of the match more.

Imran was the more reliable batsman but he was just another consolidator in the team. He did not pose much threat to the opposition bowlers and had his limitations with the bat, which almost lost us the 92 semifinal.

Because of Kapil's more impactful batting, he was consistently ranked as the number one ODI all-rounder in Imran's era.

Both all-rounders had their qualities and attributes.

Imran was an attritional cricketer with superb cricketing brain and great temparement, who did not mind not winning as long as he wasn't losing, that's why he led the team to many draws in Tests and managed to challenge the legendary West Indian team in Test cricket.

Kapil on the other hand was a player full of flair and agression, who had the attack-at-all-costs mentality, which is why he captained India to a World Cup win at the age of 24 and managed to prevent West Indies from winning three straight titles.

I think it also has to do with the different roles they played within the team .
Imran when he came up the order was trying to play a razzaq in 99 WC kind of role in blunting the new ball . Hence the higher average and the lower strike rate .
He could play the role of a big hitter too and often did so but left that role to the likes of young ones like Wasim.
Aggression is not just tring to hit every ball out of the park there is more to it.
We both have not seen them live but by all accounts imran was as aggressive as anyone wrt his cricket and bodylanguage .
Never heard anyone say before that imran was any less aggressive than any other cricketer of his era.