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Steve Waugh or Rahul Dravid: who is the better Test match batter?

Hasan123

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2 of crickets greatest batsmen and fighters. Both have faced some of the best bowlers and scored runs in difficult conditions and in a fashion that may not be pleasing on the eye.

In your opinion who is the better test player?

I'll go with Waugh just by a fraction.
 
Waugh peak average was 52-53 while Dravid at his peak was averaging 58..

Dravid had issues vs ATG bowlers like Mcgrath, Donald, Warne, Murali and his record wasn't great in Aus and SA.

Waugh 4th inning record is shabby and wasn't so pleasant to watch.Dravid was pleasant to watch but you know even his tuk-tuk can't be survived watching for so long just on the entertainment basis.

I would give an edge to Dravid here for his clutch knocks simply as a test batter but its still a close call IMO.

Won't go wrong either way..

Waugh has a legacy as a captain too.Both were great catchers though.
 
Waugh peak average was 52-53 while Dravid at his peak was averaging 58..

Dravid had issues vs ATG bowlers like Mcgrath, Donald, Warne, Murali and his record wasn't great in Aus and SA.

Waugh 4th inning record is shabby and wasn't so pleasant to watch.Dravid was pleasant to watch but you know even his tuk-tuk can't be survived watching for so long just on the entertainment basis.

I would give an edge to Dravid here for his clutch knocks simply as a test batter but its still a close call IMO.

Won't go wrong either way..

Waugh has a legacy as a captain too.Both were great catchers though.


Waughs away average is higher than his career average. In clutch situations he was one of crickets greats.
 
Waugh was ordinary batsman in his first 40-50 tests. Till end of 1992, he played 46 tests with average of 35. Then he became a gun test batsman. After 1993, he played additional 107 tests with an average of 56.

Dravid was a gun batsman from the get go in his career. In his first 40 tests, he averaged 53. If you take overlapping period then Waugh retired in 2004 and at the end of 2004, Dravid was averaging 57.

Comparison reminded me one thing. Dravid saw Waugh as his role model during his playing days. That's why both used to put very high price on their wickets.
 
Dravid was more talented and better batsman.

Waugh had great determination and gutts.
 
Dravid was the better strokemaker, but Steve Waugh has got to be one of the toughest cricketers of all time. How badly Australia could use someone with that kind of spine.
 
Dravid is a better batsman,He did have a more textbook technique along stride forward, militarily straight bat etc and he hardly ever played away from his body.Whilst teaching a school boy u can easily refer him Moreover dravid always bailed out the team in difficult situations

Waugh was a great ambassaodor for Aus cricket. But Rahul still stands out to me in this comparison
 
Dravid was a better batsman. Steve Waugh is a level below the likes of Dravid, Ponting, Kallis, etc.
 
I'd say Dravid, but it's close. Waugh was phenomenal in the 90s (3 best in the 90s were Sachin, Lara dn Waugh. No one else came close) but for his first 40 tests or so, he was mediocre. Both performed superbly on some difficult tracks. Waugh also had the luxury of batting down at 5 in one of the strongest batting lineups ever.
 
Dravid because he didnt get to feast on indian bowling while Waugh did and was lucky not to play against McGrath and Warne
 
Dravid was a better batsman. Technically solid and beautiful to watch. Steve was tough..probably achieved more than his actual ability. Overall, Steve was the better cricketer but Dravid is still one of my fave bats.
 
Waugh by a "fraction"?
I'm not so sure, Waugh thrived against the best bowlers. That wouldn't amount as a fraction.
Just my opinion.
 
Dravid was a better batsman. Steve Waugh is a level below the likes of Dravid, Ponting, Kallis, etc.

No he wasn't, i don't have the stats but i think Waugh thrived against the likes of Donald etc..
I rate him above all the players you've listed.
One of the gutsiest players in all of sports I've ever seen. It takes extraordinary courage and leadership to drop an ego maniac like Warne.
This guy had temperament on and off the field. A true leader.
 
Steve Waugh is the most underrated Test batsman on PP. Rarely makes the discussion when people talk about the best Test batsmen.

Ambrose is highly underrated as well.
 
Steve Waugh by a whisker, completely changed in career from the early 90s on wards and consistently a clutch player for Australia.
 
Dravid was a better batsman. Technically solid and beautiful to watch. Steve was tough..probably achieved more than his actual ability. Overall, Steve was the better cricketer but Dravid is still one of my fave bats.

Waugh had all the shots in the book. It's actually when he limited his shot range that he actually fulfilled his true potential.
In terms of natural ability he is up the with the likes of AB de Villiers and co.
The difference is that he has a bigger IQ than all the naturally talented players who have played the game.
This guy was pretty good.
 
Steve Waugh has some superb performances against Ambrose/Walsh/Donald/Wasim/Waqar.

Can't say the same for Dravid who was largely underwhelming against ATG attacks.

So, SR Waugh for me.
 
Id say steve waugh

He was the one of the main reasons why aus went on to become a great test team

His efforts in landmark series wins in the Wi and england in the mid 90s were huge
 
Steve Waugh is the most underrated Test batsman on PP. Rarely makes the discussion when people talk about the best Test batsmen.

Ambrose is highly underrated as well.


Yes I agree with this. Ambrose is very underated, don't know why.
 
No he wasn't, i don't have the stats but i think Waugh thrived against the likes of Donald etc..
I rate him above all the players you've listed.
One of the gutsiest players in all of sports I've ever seen. It takes extraordinary courage and leadership to drop an ego maniac like Warne.
This guy had temperament on and off the field. A true leader.

Of course, Waugh is a better cricketer and captain. My opinion was based on batting skills mainly. Dravid mostly batted at #3 so he gets some bonus points.
 
Steve Waugh and Rahul Dravid are two of the most gritty and mentally tough players of all time, both were amazing home and away. They both stood tough like a wall in difficult situations and Waugh especially who was a good captain however who was a better player between them. Here are there stats, discuss!
 

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As an overall package, Steve Waugh because of his captaincy and additional bowling. But purely as a batter, Dravid because he did the harder job of batting at 3 all his career.
 
I can understand an all time great captain, who was an amazing batter and led one of the greatest red ball teams along with that an odi wc. he was amazing in away conditions as well. But I have huge admiration for Dravid as well, an amazing batter who had stamina to play long all day, reliable whenever the going got tough. His innings at Adelaide in 2003, his 270 vs us in Rawalpindi, his record in england against Anderson and series win there god knows many other times he bailed them out.
 
Steve Waugh was an overrated captain, he felt so great simply because he had the second or third greatest team of all time with him, He was not relentless enough to keep the team at full output in dead rubbers and his team consistently dropped dead rubbers, not maximising output, Warne famously didn't respect him and many regarded Warne as the better leader, he did not conquer India or Sri Lanka and lost to both at home, and he couldn't beat India's golden generation even at home. Tactically he was competent but Warne was superior in that regard. Both of Waugh's predecessors, Allan Border and Mark Taylor were substantially better captains, commanded greater respect from their teammates and led so forth.

Regardless, Waugh was better for batting alone.
 
Doesn't Chappell have a problem with him I heard, I really don't know. Anyway, what is your opinion keen to hear
In delhi 97 test against India, McGrath outscored Waugh in first innings on a treacherous pitch.Ian told mcgrath that he batted much better than Waugh .Waugh took it personally and remained unbeaten with 70 odd in second innings.
 
In his book , Waugh said he used to bash spinners and never cared about them.he did the same against pacers ( against bouncers primarily).He was outfoxed by good spinners and he was forced to respect them .Against wi; he was ambushed by pacers bowling short length around the wickets.he used to give catching practice to short leg fielders.so he worked on that again and sometimes he was happy to take the blows.raina used to have the same problem as Waugh against bouncers. Waugh had a great away ashes series in 89 and again got dropped for inconsistent performances. He kept on improving .As a fielder too , he used to do one misfield per day as per border Even in his book , Waugh said ball used to follow him whenever he was not having confidence to take a catch.he must be one hell of a determined guy who made a great career with his hard work .he had less talent than others especially his brother but made a name for himself. His quotes in 99wc " I dont know, who is our next opponent ", "we are not here to make friends" completely paved the light on Aussies aggression for next decade .
 
In his book , Waugh said he used to bash spinners and never cared about them.he did the same against pacers ( against bouncers primarily).He was outfoxed by good spinners and he was forced to respect them .Against wi; he was ambushed by pacers bowling short length around the wickets.he used to give catching practice to short leg fielders.so he worked on that again and sometimes he was happy to take the blows.raina used to have the same problem as Waugh against bouncers. Waugh had a great away ashes series in 89 and again got dropped for inconsistent performances. He kept on improving .As a fielder too , he used to do one misfield per day as per border Even in his book , Waugh said ball used to follow him whenever he was not having confidence to take a catch.he must be one hell of a determined guy who made a great career with his hard work .he had less talent than others especially his brother but made a name for himself. His quotes in 99wc " I dont know, who is our next opponent ", "we are not here to make friends" completely paved the light on Aussies aggression for next decade .
such a hardworking and amazing player he was Waugh, argubably the most mentally tough player alongside Border and Dravid
 
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