Kusal Mendis vs Babar Azam - Future superstars?

[Gubol123]

I know Babar has been hyped a lot and has been compared to Sachin/Virat and others.. But there is one more player with whom comparison looks much more appropriate. Both Kusal and Babar are 23, have played around same number of ODI's and play in top 3. I think Mendis is tremendously undervalued on this forum. If he plays to his potential he can become a SL great and Babar can become Pak great. Discuss

 

[CanadianG00se]

From Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli to
Babar Azam vs Kusal Mendis

 

[babajee]

What fans need to realise is that Babar Azam is a 40-42 averaging batsman who will inflate his stats bashing SL and WI.
[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION]

 

[Gubol123]

From Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli to
Babar Azam vs Kusal Mendis

Lets be fair, very few can be compared to Virat now. It is not fair on Babar.

 

[Gubol123]

What fans need to realise is that Babar Azam is a 40-42 averaging batsman who will inflate his stats bashing SL and WI.

[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION]

Yeah, he will be 40 to 45 stats player. He will be 45/85 ODI player, 42/55 test player and 40/125 t20 player. Those are certainly not ATG level stats but not bad either. my only worry is he will settle for 45/85 stats in ODI when 50/90 is becoming the norm. Lets see how he develops. I have no delusions about Babar abilities. I actually rate Mendis as a better test batsman and potentially both same level in ODIs.

 

[Rayyman]

From Babar Azam vs Virat Kohli to
Babar Azam vs Kusal Mendis

Nobody compared Babar to Kohli lol.

 

[BlueDoritos]

Mendis will become a Test specialist. Babar will become a Limited overs specialist, with decent Test record.

 

[Gubol123]

Mendis will become a Test specialist. Babar will become a Limited overs specialist, with decent Test record.

Mendis has the game to be a decent ODI player. That is the reason i said he can become SL mahela with similar stats

 

[Sachin136]

A more apt comparison would be Mendis and Rahul.

 

[Abdul]

Babar? Superstar?

 

[CanadianG00se]

Nobody compared Babar to Kohli lol.

If i recall correctly there was a thread about Kohli V Babar at so and so age. Even Arthur once commented that Babar is better than Kohli was at certain age.

 

[CanadianG00se]

A more apt comparison would be Mendis and Rahul.

Unfair to Rahul, specially the way he is being treated. Wish Kohli would’ve made Rahul a permanent fixture in Odis and Test instead of playing musical chair.

 

[in_cutter]

Future superstar?? I don’t think so.

 

[Abdul]

If i recall correctly there was a thread about Kohli V Babar at so and so age. Even Arthur once commented that Babar is better than Kohli was at certain age.

Arthur praising a player means that the player should say goodbye to his career.

 

[Brodipet_baadshah]

Is Kusal the same guy who was dropped for India tour so that he wont loose confidence?nd he is a superstar and future great?lol

 

[aloo paratha]

Both will probably always be timid players, who can only score soft runs.

 

[Hasan123]

Both are talanted players who have a lot of potential. Enjoy watching both. Babar is ahead for now but I think Kusal has more potential as of now.

 

[TikkiTaka]

Kusal is the anti-Babar in the sense that his best knocks come on the hardest most challenging wickets. His century against Australia was one for the ages.

Babar will become our next-gen MoYo: fantastic stats padded up by minnow bashing. Which isn't the worst thing in the world by itself if not for the fact that we need him to become our Kohli/Smith/Root/Williamson.

I'm ready to bet that Babar will retire with the better career stats, but Mendis will be the more impactful player.

 

[Gubol123]

Is Kusal the same guy who was dropped for India tour so that he wont loose confidence?nd he is a superstar and future great?lol

Yes same guy. Just because someone was in a bad form last month doesn't mean he is useless. See how he is playing in BD match

 

[Gubol123]

Both will probably always be timid players, who can only score soft runs.

Soft runs!!!! Mendis has already played a career defining knock against Aus. See how well he is playing against BD on that difficult spin

 

[Gubol123]

Both are talanted players who have a lot of potential. Enjoy watching both. Babar is ahead for now but I think Kusal has more potential as of now.

Tests Mendis is clearly ahead with not just runs but also couple of impactful innings. In ODIs Babar is ahead but not too much. If you consider that Babar has lot of ODI soft runs you will see that Babar is ahead but not that far ahead. It will be a good race to top between them in the future. I agree that Kusal has more potential and higher sealing in longer format

 

[aloo paratha]

Soft runs!!!! Mendis has already played a career defining knock against Aus. See how well he is playing against BD on that difficult spin

1 knock doesn't prove anything. Nothing I've seen from either make me believe they can score under pressure.

 

[TikkiTaka]

1 knock doesn't prove anything. Nothing I've seen from either make me believe they can score under pressure.

Well Mendis has played some fantastic knocks on raging turners including one right now in Bangaldesh. So I think you're being a tad harsh on him. He actually reminds me of Damien Martyn in a weird way. Oozes talent, but lacks consistency. He's not gonna put on the biggest scores, but when the penny drops he'll be a monster.

I really do think MoYo is the closest prototype of Babar.

 

[Ab Fan]

Babar has to carry the team on his shoulders in his home conditions against most of the top teams. This is where it starts first for him. Until he had done that, he shouldn't have been even hyped unnecessarily. Look at Joe Root. The guy averages 50 by performing on a consistent basis and against each opposition but still is not getting due because he isn't winning it on his own.

In tests, Azam is a nobody as of now. A 80 odd vs NZ isn't what can be spoken for years. Consistency is what matters first and then only great innings and other stuffs.

 

[Gubol123]

Babar has to carry the team on his shoulders in his home conditions against most of the top teams. This is where it starts first for him. Until he had done that, he shouldn't have been even hyped unnecessarily. Look at Joe Root. The guy averages 50 by performing on a consistent basis and against each opposition but still is not getting due because he isn't winning it on his own.

In tests, Azam is a nobody as of now. A 80 odd vs NZ isn't what can be spoken for years. Consistency is what matters first and then only great innings and other stuffs.

yeah in tests he is currently nobody. But in LOI's he is somebody though that somebody is not yet perfect. Same is with Mendis.. he is currently nobody in LOIs though he is somebody in tests and has couple of impactful innings but still has to work on his temperament. So the comparison is apt. both play in the top three, both are young and same age, thrust into difficult roles early in their career without much FC experience, both have very few seniors to look up to and expected to learn on the job, both are mostly sure starters in their teams, etc. So they have lot of things in common. I personally feel Mendis has a higher bar as he seems to have lots of time to play his shots and has excellent skills playing spin. Babar seems to be somewhat a subdued character and has not shown much in terms of learning. This is Babar's third year in Intl and he is yet to show anything new in terms of power game, ability to lead his team batting wise, high quality spin playing skills or even pace bowling skills. But he is a quite a talent nonetheless and will hopefully score lots of runs for Pakistan.. That is the reason for the word "Future" in the title

 

[aloo paratha]

Well Mendis has played some fantastic knocks on raging turners including one right now in Bangaldesh. So I think you're being a tad harsh on him. He actually reminds me of Damien Martyn in a weird way. Oozes talent, but lacks consistency. He's not gonna put on the biggest scores, but when the penny drops he'll be a monster.

I really do think MoYo is the closest prototype of Babar.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on Mendis, but not Babar.

 

[TikkiTaka]

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh on Mendis, but not Babar.

Completely agree. I actually think that Fakhar has a higher ceiling than Babar not because of talent but rather because of his fearless attitude. Reminds me of Sehwag in his 'see ball, hit ball' style. He has technical deficiencies but in ODI's with flat pitches atleast it won't matter as much.

In Tests, I really worry for our next batting generation tbh.

 

[Ab Fan]

yeah in tests he is currently nobody. But in LOI's he is somebody though that somebody is not yet perfect. Same is with Mendis.. he is currently nobody in LOIs though he is somebody in tests and has couple of impactful innings but still has to work on his temperament. So the comparison is apt. both play in the top three, both are young and same age, thrust into difficult roles early in their career without much FC experience, both have very few seniors to look up to and expected to learn on the job, both are mostly sure starters in their teams, etc. So they have lot of things in common. I personally feel Mendis has a higher bar as he seems to have lots of time to play his shots and has excellent skills playing spin. Babar seems to be somewhat a subdued character and has not shown much in terms of learning. This is Babar's third year in Intl and he is yet to show anything new in terms of power game, ability to lead his team batting wise, high quality spin playing skills or even pace bowling skills. But he is a quite a talent nonetheless and will hopefully score lots of runs for Pakistan.. That is the reason for the word "Future" in the title

Babar might become the Moyo of this era. Personally, I would prefer a Miandad, Inzy, Younis and Anwar over Moyo.

 

[barah_admi]

The hate Babar is getting so unusual. So many non Pakistanis are rating him, people talking about him, even ranking highly and yet he gets compared to wild swinger Mendis? And hated on? The guy has a century at almost a run a ball in his first tour of Aus, played a couple of important innings in the CT (lets not forget he helped up the rate in the SA match and did well in the final) and played well in other matches.

His technique is sound and he is the most modern of Pak batsmen at the moment, accumulating early and then striking later in the innings, much like Root and KOhli. Can he be at that level? Who knows. Even if he isnt at that level, just a level below is still pretty damn good.

 

[aloo paratha]

The hate Babar is getting so unusual. So many non Pakistanis are rating him, people talking about him, even ranking highly and yet he gets compared to wild swinger Mendis? And hated on? The guy has a century at almost a run a ball in his first tour of Aus, played a couple of important innings in the CT (lets not forget he helped up the rate in the SA match and did well in the final) and played well in other matches.

His technique is sound and he is the most modern of Pak batsmen at the moment, accumulating early and then striking later in the innings, much like Root and KOhli. Can he be at that level? Who knows. Even if he isnt at that level, just a level below is still pretty damn good.

Lol nobody outside Pakistan rates him more than just being a decent batsmen.

Babar was not the one who upped the rate vs SA and in the final of the CT. Vs SA it was Shoaib Malik and in the final it was Hafeez.

Babar is at medis' level, not root or kohli.

 

[jaf348]

The hate Babar is getting so unusual. So many non Pakistanis are rating him, people talking about him, even ranking highly and yet he gets compared to wild swinger Mendis? And hated on? The guy has a century at almost a run a ball in his first tour of Aus, played a couple of important innings in the CT (lets not forget he helped up the rate in the SA match and did well in the final) and played well in other matches.

His technique is sound and he is the most modern of Pak batsmen at the moment, accumulating early and then striking later in the innings, much like Root and KOhli. Can he be at that level? Who knows. Even if he isnt at that level, just a level below is still pretty damn good.

ODIs aren't the only form of cricket and Mendis isn't a wild swinger. When he made his 176 against a strong Australian bowling lineup on a difficult wicket to bat on, SL were 4 wickets down and still behind Australia's first innings total when he came in to bat. This is the same bowling lineup Babar failed miserably against on much flatter wickets down under in the test series.

As for his run a ball hundred that everyone keeps banging on about in that 5th dead rubber ODI; I don't think Pakistan or Babar actually believed they were going to be able to chase down 369. The RRR is in the 20th over was already 8.5.

Tests - Mendis >>> Babar
ODIs - Babar >>> Mendis

 

[IndianFan2018]

The hate Babar is getting so unusual. So many non Pakistanis are rating him, people talking about him, even ranking highly and yet he gets compared to wild swinger Mendis? And hated on? The guy has a century at almost a run a ball in his first tour of Aus, played a couple of important innings in the CT (lets not forget he helped up the rate in the SA match and did well in the final) and played well in other matches.

His technique is sound and he is the most modern of Pak batsmen at the moment, accumulating early and then striking later in the innings, much like Root and KOhli. Can he be at that level? Who knows. Even if he isnt at that level, just a level below is still pretty damn good.

Babar may be good batsman among Pak batsman, frankly not many outside Pak fans rate him. He may change perception in coming days, as of now he is decent bat at the max for many outsiders IMO.

 

[barah_admi]

Babar may be good batsman among Pak batsman, frankly not many outside Pak fans rate him. He may change perception in coming days, as of now he is decent bat at the max for many outsiders IMO.

I don't care what you indian fans think. But everyone from Bish to Nasser have praised him highly. I assume they know more about cricket than you.

 

[barah_admi]

Lol nobody outside Pakistan rates him more than just being a decent batsmen.

Babar was not the one who upped the rate vs SA and in the final of the CT. Vs SA it was Shoaib Malik and in the final it was Hafeez.

Babar is at medis' level, not root or kohli.

Babar and Malik played together to up the rate. In fact, Babars job was even more difficult because Hafeez got out just as Pak needed him most, so he had to stabilise, which allowed Malik to play freely enough to put Pakistan 19 runs ahead of DLS, which they would not have been if Pak had lost another wicket.

Then in the final, when Malik got out in the middle overs, Babar helped the scoreboard to tick along by rotating the strike. How often have we seen Pakistan teams collapse in the middle overs ? Time and time again yet Babar, a guy in his early 20s held it together and by the time Hafeez and Imad unleashed, the match was won.

And since you lot keep bringing up KOhli, he had a better CT than him lol

 

[Gubol123]

ODIs aren't the only form of cricket and Mendis isn't a wild swinger. When he made his 176 against a strong Australian bowling lineup on a difficult wicket to bat on, SL were 4 wickets down and still behind Australia's first innings total when he came in to bat. This is the same bowling lineup Babar failed miserably against on much flatter wickets down under in the test series.

As for his run a ball hundred that everyone keeps banging on about in that 5th dead rubber ODI; I don't think Pakistan or Babar actually believed they were going to be able to chase down 369. The RRR is in the 20th over was already 8.5.

Tests - Mendis >>> Babar
ODIs - Babar >>> Mendis

it is more like

Mendis>>>Babar
Babar>Mendis - don't just go by Babar's high average

 

[dhonixi]

Babar is good but Mendis showed resolute in some innings. Babar till now looked like batsman who do not want to be in ground. I feel sleepy by looking at him.

 

[Gubol123]

Babar is good but Mendis showed resolute in some innings. Babar till now looked like batsman who do not want to be in ground. I feel sleepy by looking at him.

yeah he is very subdued and doesn't give anyone watching him any kind of confidence.. Mendis is quite a live wire and pulled off some excellent catches in shortleg.. Mendis has higher ceiling atleast in tests

 

[aloo paratha]

Babar and Malik played together to up the rate. In fact, Babars job was even more difficult because Hafeez got out just as Pak needed him most, so he had to stabilise, which allowed Malik to play freely enough to put Pakistan 19 runs ahead of DLS, which they would not have been if Pak had lost another wicket.

Then in the final, when Malik got out in the middle overs, Babar helped the scoreboard to tick along by rotating the strike. How often have we seen Pakistan teams collapse in the middle overs ? Time and time again yet Babar, a guy in his early 20s held it together and by the time Hafeez and Imad unleashed, the match was won.

And since you lot keep bringing up KOhli, he had a better CT than him lol

Wow our standards are so high, we're praising 30 and 40 run innings.

How was Babar's CT better than Kohli's??? And even if it was, it's only one series. Babar can't even imagine being like Kohli. Babar will probably always be the king of soft runs against SL and WI, or score impact-less, selfish innings against big teams.

 

[aloo paratha]

it is more like

Mendis>>>Babar
Babar>Mendis - don't just go by Babar's high average

Babar can only wish to score a 176 under pressure against Australia. Mendis is a lot better than Babar in tests.

 

[babajee]

Babar is the most complete batsman in Pakistan - have some faith guys.

 

[DeadBall]

52 off 25 so far, seems to have more of a power game than Babar.

 

[Tyler Durden]

Played a Series winning knock (4th innings) against SA in SA! When was the last time Babar played such a knock during a chase and won a Test match for his country?

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Played a Series winning knock (4th innings) against SA in SA! When was the last time Babar played such a knock during a chase and won a Test match for his country?

Replace babar with sachin,sehwag,dravid,younis,javed,sanga etc etc and it still holds true,

 

[Abdullah]

Is it gonna be soft runs now when Babar scores against SL ��