Why Ajinkya Rahane is India's most important Test batsman after Virat Kohli

[RedwoodOriginal]

So let me start this post by saying, it is very disappointing to see the lack of respect Ajinkya Rahane gets from Indian fans here. I know many will be tempted to see this post as a knee-jerk reaction to the leading role Rahane played in one of India's greatest overseas victories, but that is not the case. If anything that was a validation of what Rahane brings to the Indian team. In many way Rahane is the anti-thesis of Kohli, both as a batsman and as a leader. And in an Indian team driven by an aggressive and 'in-your-face' attitude it isn't surprising to see him and his performances go under the radar. Yes, he is not the most consistent batsman as the average of 43 will tell you. But to look at that average is to miss the very point of what he brings to the team.

For one thing, Rahane is not a home-track bully. If anything he is a below average batsman in India averaging only 39.28. Take out his career best of 188 against New Zealand and that average will likely come down even more. But that's okay, because India has plenty of home-track bullies. Kohli averages 68.42 in India, Pujara: 59.84. Rohit Sharma though with very few test caps to his name averages 88.33 at home. Even Rahul and Dhawan who have been either on the fringes of the team or out of it completely average 44 in India. Murali Vijay who enjoyed a long run in the Indian team till 2018 averages 47.02 in India.

But where Rahane eclipses all these batsmen is overseas performances. Rahane averages 45.88 away from home. This is higher than all of India's main batsmen including Kohli who averages 44.23.
On the other hand Pujara averages 36.84, Rohit Sharma: 26.32, Rahul: 29.50, Dhawan: 39.14, Vijay: 30.80.

Now I know what many here may be thinking here. The term overseas includes alot of countries. Countries like Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and West Indies, against whom scoring runs don't nearly mean as much. So quite rightly, the barometer of success for Asian batsmen is performances in SENA (South Africa, England, New Zealand and Australia).

In SENA Rahane averages 39.00. Only Kohli averages more than him at 46.59. By comparison the batsman that many Indians consider as most important after Kohli, Pujara averages only 33.74 at a strike-rate that many would consider slow even for test cricket 38.68.

What's more not only has Pujara scored less runs (1856) than Rahane (1872) in SENA at a worse average...in more matches, (even though he bats up the order), he has also scored them at a significantly worse strike-rate: 38.68, compared to Rahane's strike-rate of 49.94 in SENA. Take out his his performance in the 2018/19 series in Australia and I'm fairly certain that average would come down to the 20s.

What about the averages of India's other batsmen in SENA. They are as follows:

Shikhar Dhawan: 25.80
Rohit Sharma: 25.36
KL Rahul: 22.43
Murali Vijay: 30.59

Rahane's performance in the second test was in many ways him reaching the next level as India's most important batsman overseas, where for the first time he played the most defining role in an Indian overseas victory in the absence of Kohli. Yes he has had many failures in SENA aswell as the average of 39 suggests and did not have a good outing in England or New Zealand the last time India were toruing those countries, but he still stands shoulders above all of India's other batsmen in those countries, barring Kohli.

His value to the Indian team can further illustrated by the fact that India has never lost a test match when he has scored a century!

In closing, I would just like to implore Indian fans to value what they have. I have seen numerous posters talking about Rahane as an average player when in reality he is India's most important batsman after Kohli. And believe me, Pakistan, Sri Lanka or Bangladesh would give an arm and a leg to have a batsman like Rahane in their side.

In addition, I would like to request the mods to kindly not attach this post to any pre-existing thread about Rahane because I want Indian fans to see this comparative analysis of Rahane and the other Indian batsmen, so that certain myths can be dispelled

 

[Hasan123]

Think it's Pujara due to his ability to block the new ball.

 

[King_Kohli]

Pujara most important batman after Kohli.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Think it's Pujara due to his ability to block the new ball.

Would you consider Abbas to be Pakistan's most important batsman after Babar due to his ability to block the new ball?

 

[topspin]

It isn't Pujara because he scores his runs too sedately away from home especially in SENA.

Great post by OP. Really like the detailed analysis and breakdown here. POTW for me.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Didn't even have to read the thread.

OPs analysis is all wrong.

First of all, Sena isn't be all and end all.

Second of all, Rahane had great Sena numbers in his first cycle and then it dipped badly.

Third of all, he was horrible in Asia barring some random Stat boosting knock. Bangalore 2017 was quality tho.

Fourth of all, Pujara has been insane in Asia and directly responsive for most of our series wins. Barely any Stat boosting knock. Scored all the tough runs.

Fifth of all, in the past few years, Pujara has the best Sena numbers after Kohli while Rahane had been poor. Plus Pujara won us the Aus series batting wise almost single handedly. And he was pretty good in Eng but we couldn't capitalize in Southampton. He did setup wins in SA in 2013 which we couldn't close... And he played a crucial role in 2018 win in SA.

All in all, Pujara is the second best bat and Rahane was o the verge of being dropped post this series had it not been for this century.

Now that he has played an incredible knock, there is revisionism.

He ain't tee 2nd best bat based on performance uptil now.

/thread

 

[Ab Fan]

Good post but no myths have been dispelled. Rahane is our second best batsman overseas and better than Pujara in SENA but he is no overseas bully. An average of 39 in SENA is good but nothing special.

Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Kohli, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Vishwanath and Amarnath average over 40+ in all the major alien conditions. With respect to that, Pujara and Rahane have disappointed.

We made peace with Pujara after he followed his years of home bullying by a historical performance in Australia 2018 tour. Now, we are also making peace with Rahane after his great Melbourne 2020 performance.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

People have got to learn how to understand and interpret stats better.

Rahane isn't even our 2nd best Sena player.

He looked like he would be a legend in Sena but then he fell off alarmingly.

Pujara is our 2nd best Sena player.

Others can post the real stats.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Good post but no myths have been dispelled. Rahane is our second best batsman overseas and better than Pujara in SENA but he is no overseas bully. An average of 39 in SENA is good but nothing special.

Tendulkar, Gavaskar, Kohli, Dravid, Laxman, Ganguly, Vishwanath and Amarnath average over 40+ in all the major alien conditions. With respect to that, Pujara and Rahane have disappointed.

We made peace with Pujara after he followed his years of home bullying by a historical performance in Australia 2018 tour. Now, we are also making peace with Rahane after his great Melbourne 2020 performance.

The question was never regarding Rahane's position in the pantheon of great Indian batsmen. All the players you mentioned are either Indian greats or both Indian greats and ATGs. I was speaking exclusively in reference to the current.

 

[Mamoon]

Third best after Kohli and Pujara. Pujara does a tremendous job for India by blunting the new ball and occupying the crease for sessions.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Didn't even have to read the thread.

OPs analysis is all wrong.

First of all, Sena isn't be all and end all.

Second of all, Rahane had great Sena numbers in his first cycle and then it dipped badly.

Third of all, he was horrible in Asia barring some random Stat boosting knock. Bangalore 2017 was quality tho.

Fourth of all, Pujara has been insane in Asia and directly responsive for most of our series wins. Barely any Stat boosting knock. Scored all the tough runs.

Fifth of all, in the past few years, Pujara has the best Sena numbers after Kohli while Rahane had been poor. Plus Pujara won us the Aus series batting wise almost single handedly. And he was pretty good in Eng but we couldn't capitalize in Southampton. He did setup wins in SA in 2013 which we couldn't close... And he played a crucial role in 2018 win in SA.

All in all, Pujara is the second best bat and Rahane was o the verge of being dropped post this series had it not been for this century.

Now that he has played an incredible knock, there is revisionism.

He ain't tee 2nd best bat based on performance uptil now.

/thread

You call yourself sensible yet you didn't even bother to read the post?

Because if you did you would know I mentioned that India has a number of batsmen that can score tons of runs at home and at a better average than Pujara. What they don't have are players who can score runs in SENA consistently. And whether you like it or not, SENA is the barometer of success for Asian batsmen.

Pujara has one incredible series in 2018/19 that will surely go down in history as one of the very best ever played in Australia by a visiting batsman. But beyond that he has a mountain of failures.

And if Pujara really turned a corner after that series why didn't he do anything in New Zealand 2020? Even in this series he has done nothing thus far.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

It isn't Pujara because he scores his runs too sedately away from home especially in SENA.

Great post by OP. Really like the detailed analysis and breakdown here. POTW for me.

Thank you.

 

[Ab Fan]

The question was never regarding Rahane's position in the pantheon of great Indian batsmen. All the players you mentioned are either Indian greats or both Indian greats and ATGs. I was speaking exclusively in reference to the current.

My point is that when you consider the fact that he is an inferior batsman to Laxman, Amarnath, Vishwanath, Ganguly in tough alien conditions, it tells us that he is nothing special in SENA also.

The only reason why he is second best in SENA after Kohli and actually more closer to Pujara is because there is a landslide gap between Kohli and the second best in SENA. He would have been our highly impactful player had he averaged 45 in SENA rather than 39 even after keeping up that 39 average at home.

 

[Ab Fan]

You call yourself sensible yet you didn't even bother to read the post?

Because if you did you would know I mentioned that India has a number of batsmen that can score tons of runs at home and at a better average than Pujara. What they don't have are players who can score runs in SENA consistently. And whether you like it or not, SENA is the barometer of success for Asian batsmen.

Pujara has one incredible series in 2018/19 that will surely go down in history as one of the very best ever played in Australia by a visiting batsman. But beyond that he has a mountain of failures.

And if Pujara really turned a corner after that series why didn't he do anything in New Zealand 2020? Even in this series he has done nothing thus far.

Pujara also won a test in Southampton, England in 2018.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You call yourself sensible yet you didn't even bother to read the post?

Because if you did you would know I mentioned that India has a number of batsmen that can score tons of runs at home and at a better average than Pujara. What they don't have are players who can score runs in SENA consistently. And whether you like it or not, SENA is the barometer of success for Asian batsmen.

Pujara has one incredible series in 2018/19 that will surely go down in history as one of the very best ever played in Australia by a visiting batsman. But beyond that he has a mountain of failures.

And if Pujara really turned a corner after that series why didn't he do anything in New Zealand 2020? Even in this series he has done nothing thus far.

I apologize if my post came across as too harsh.

But sorry bud... Your analysis is all wrp g.

Check Pujara's Sena numbers after the first cycle post 2015.

Its easily superior to Rahane.

You gotta slice and dice stats to see the reality.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Pujara also won a test in Southampton, England in 2018.

He won the previous test in England... And setup a win in Southampton only for Ashwin to mess it up.

 

[Hasan123]

Would you consider Abbas to be Pakistan's most important batsman after Babar due to his ability to block the new ball?

Pujara has scored runs as well as block the new ball .

 

[topspin]

As OP has pointed out an average of 33-34 at a sub-40 SR is significantly worse than Rahane's stats in SENA tests.

Rahane is significantly better than Pujara in SENA. The latter is a slightly superior Azhar Ali in these conditions.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Didn't even have to read the thread.

OPs analysis is all wrong.

First of all, Sena isn't be all and end all.

Second of all, Rahane had great Sena numbers in his first cycle and then it dipped badly.

Third of all, he was horrible in Asia barring some random Stat boosting knock. Bangalore 2017 was quality tho.

Fourth of all, Pujara has been insane in Asia and directly responsive for most of our series wins. Barely any Stat boosting knock. Scored all the tough runs.

Fifth of all, in the past few years, Pujara has the best Sena numbers after Kohli while Rahane had been poor. Plus Pujara won us the Aus series batting wise almost single handedly. And he was pretty good in Eng but we couldn't capitalize in Southampton. He did setup wins in SA in 2013 which we couldn't close... And he played a crucial role in 2018 win in SA.

All in all, Pujara is the second best bat and Rahane was o the verge of being dropped post this series had it not been for this century.

Now that he has played an incredible knock, there is revisionism.

He ain't tee 2nd best bat based on performance uptil now.

/thread

Completely agree with you, Pujara is easily our second best batsman even in away conditions.

I would like to add one more thing,
I followed each and every series since 2015.
Since then Rahane never dominated a series which according to me is the most important sign of a good batsman. He comes up with this one good performance per series unlike Kohli and Pujara.
Kohli has dominated away series in eng, Sa, aus and many at home
Pujara has done the same in Aus and in India he is even more important than Kohli
Rahane always played like a support batsman nothing more.

It is a great disservice to Pujara to call Rahane as Indias second best batsman away from home.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Rahane's numbers are boosted by the first cycle.

Post that Pujara has been better than him IN Asia and SENA.

Ashwin has an average of 35 in SENA overall.

Let's call him a home track bully ignoring the fact that he has an average of 25 post 2015 in SENA.

---

In adelaide... Both pujara and rahane performed.

In Melbourne, one flipped and one hit it big.

One kncok cannot make up for 5 years ouf mediocrity.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Also, Rahane averages 102 in West Indies which basically bolsters his away avg from 39 to 45

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Completely agree with you, Pujara is easily our second best batsman even in away conditions.

I would like to add one more thing,
I followed each and every series since 2015.
Since then Rahane never dominated a series which according to me is the most important sign of a good batsman. He comes up with this one good performance per series unlike Kohli and Pujara.
Kohli has dominated away series in eng, Sa, aus and many at home
Pujara has done the same in Aus and in India he is even more important than Kohli
Rahane always played like a support batsman nothing more.

It is a great disservice to Pujara to call Rahane as Indias second best batsman away from home.

Absolutely bud.

Rahane at best has been a support role and even then he would barely score in most games in a series.

Compared to Pujara who has pretty much impacted all of our wins IN SENA one way otr the other barring Melbourne.

I have Seen every series...most of them ball to ball.

Its a huge disservice to pujara to call rahane.

Its revisionism at best and a lie at worst.

 

[Ab Fan]

He won the previous test in England... And setup a win in Southampton only for Ashwin to mess it up.

Ohh..I clearly remember the test he won in England in 2018 in which he got a hundred but I mentioned the venue by just scrolling through your posts .

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Ohh..I clearly remember the test he won in England in 2018 in which he got a hundred but I mentioned the venue by just scrolling through your posts .

Haha it's all good.

 

[Ab Fan]

Completely agree with you, Pujara is easily our second best batsman even in away conditions.

I would like to add one more thing,
I followed each and every series since 2015.
<B>Since then Rahane never dominated a series which according to me is the most important sign of a good batsman</B>. He comes up with this one good performance per series unlike Kohli and Pujara.
Kohli has dominated away series in eng, Sa, aus and many at home
Pujara has done the same in Aus and in India he is even more important than Kohli
Rahane always played like a support batsman nothing more.

It is a great disservice to Pujara to call Rahane as Indias second best batsman away from home.

At no.5-6, you can't expect players to dominate a series. That is the job of top 4. There are very few cricketers whom you will find have dominated a series by being a prolific run scorer at that position.

Rahane's job is to play those game changing knocks which he hasn't done between 2015-2020 except one.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

At no.5-6, you can't expect players to dominate a series. That is the job of top 4. There are very few cricketers whom you will find have dominated a series by being a prolific run scorer at that position.

Rahane's job is to play those game changing knocks which he hasn't done between 2015-2020 except one.

Its not about statistical dominance but impact dominance.

Rahane plays in the same spot as Laxman.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Joberg 2013

Durban 2013

Lords 2014 (less score but he blunted the new ball on a hopelessly green track earning special praise from Mike Atherton in post match)

Some decent support knocks in 2014 Aus series (where he was mostly poor)

Joberg 2018

Trent bridge 2018 (forgot the venue)

Southampton 2018 (took apart the bowling farming strike with the tail)

Adelaide 2018 (same as Southampton)

Melbourne 2018

Sydney 2018

----

Adelaide 2020 (blunted the ball and played a decent knock supporting Kohli... And then rahane did the same too)

These are his performances in SENA.

 

[Ab Fan]

Its not about statistical dominance but impact dominance.

Rahane plays in the same spot as Laxman.

Laxman played many game-changing knocks but they weren't series defining performances. When we think of VVS, we remember

Sydney 2000
Kolkata 2001
Adelaide 2003
Mohali (don't remember year)
Durban 2010
Perth 2007
Johannesburg -------

There are more but all these are match winning performances, not series winning ones.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Laxman played many game-changing knocks but they weren't series defining performances. When we think of VVS, we remember

Kolkata 2001
Adelaide 2003
Mohali (don't remember year)
Durban 2010
Perth 2007
Johannesburg -------

There are more but all these are match winning performances, not series winning ones.

Laxman is the epitome of clutch knocks.

All those knocks impacted the series in a big way especially in SENA.

How such knocks Rahane has played that has impacted the series?

---.

Laxman won us a test in SL in fourth innings chasing 250 when we were tottering at 60 - 4.

He made a century. Tendulkar made 50.

That guy is something else.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Ohh..I clearly remember the test he won in England in 2018 in which he got a hundred but I mentioned the venue by just scrolling through your posts .

He didn't score a century in that match.
Kohli scored 98 and 102.
Pujara scored a century in the 4th test, we lost that match.

 

[RyanRyan10]

You call yourself sensible yet you didn't even bother to read the post?

Because if you did you would know I mentioned that India has a number of batsmen that can score tons of runs at home and at a better average than Pujara. What they don't have are players who can score runs in SENA consistently. And whether you like it or not, SENA is the barometer of success for Asian batsmen.

Pujara has one incredible series in 2018/19 that will surely go down in history as one of the very best ever played in Australia by a visiting batsman. But beyond that he has a mountain of failures.

And if Pujara really turned a corner after that series why didn't he do anything in New Zealand 2020? Even in this series he has done nothing thus far.

Ajinkya Rahane in winning causes in SENA
Has contributed in 5 out of 6 wins

103 at Lord's 2014
48 at Johannesburg 2018
81 at Nottingham 2018
70 at Adelaide 2018
112 at Melbourne 2020

Pujara has 3 impactful knocks in winning cause

Rahane has also played more impactful knocks in the matches we drew or lost

In SENA, Rahane is clearly better than Pujara if overall career in considered.

Overall, i will rate Pujara above Rahane. He was a beat at home between 2012-2017, one of the biggest reasons why we have such a phenomenal record at home. Rahane has been inconsistent at home.

 

[Ab Fan]

Laxman is the epitome of clutch knocks.

All those knocks impacted the series in a big way especially in SENA.

How such knocks Rahane has played that has impacted the series?

---.

Laxman won us a test in SL in fourth innings chasing 250 when we were tottering at 60 - 4.

He made a century. Tendulkar made 50.

That guy is something else.

VVS is very very special, I know. My point was just that you can't expect big dominant series from no.5-6 in terms of statistics. Rahane obviously hasn't done what anywhere close to what VVS has done.

 

[Ab Fan]

He didn't score a century in that match.
Kohli scored 98 and 102.
Pujara scored a century in the 4th test, we lost that match.

Okay, I got it now. I did watched that series though, just losing the memory.

And Pujara's hundred was in Southampton only but in a losing cause

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

VVS is very very special, I know. My point was just that you can't expect big dominant series from no.5-6 in terms of statistics. Rahane obviously hasn't done what anywhere close to what VVS has done.

I never said he has to do it stat wise but he has to do it impact wise.

Rahane even during his good series would go missing in many innings.

I don't remember Laxman being a liability excluding the good knocks in a series.

Rahane after first SENA cycle looked like an ATG in the making.

After that, he fell off alarmingly... Barring a random knock in a series.
.

 

[Ab Fan]

I never said he has to do it stat wise but he has to do it impact wise.

Rahane even during his good series would go missing in many innings.

I don't remember Laxman being a liability excluding the good knocks in a series.

Rahane after first SENA cycle looked like an ATG in the making.

After that, he fell off alarmingly... Barring a random knock in a series.
.

Yeah and those random knocks were either useless or support ones like Nottingham 2018 and Adelaide 2018.

 

[Hyperion66]

Yes, same way Asad Shafiq is the second best Pak bat after Babar. In terms of sheer impact and value Pujara's series winning 2018 performance is more valuable than Rahane's entire career.

 

[Mesozoic]

No he isn't.

 

[Hyperion66]

The question was never regarding Rahane's position in the pantheon of great Indian batsmen. All the players you mentioned are either Indian greats or both Indian greats and ATGs. I was speaking exclusively in reference to the current.

'Current' is not a 2 weeks sprint. I am not a stats and spreadsheet guy but purely based on what I have seen Pujara did better than Rahane in SENA in last 4-5 years. No way he is more important than Pujara in SENA. At home it is not even worthy of a debate.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Also, Rahane averages 102 in West Indies which basically bolsters his away avg from 39 to 45

Good point. Something you could have just as easily have found out had you read my post where I mentioned Rahane's average in SENA is 39. His average away from home IS 45.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Ajinkya Rahane in winning causes in SENA
Has contributed in 5 out of 6 wins

103 at Lord's 2014
48 at Johannesburg 2018
81 at Nottingham 2018
70 at Adelaide 2018
112 at Melbourne 2020

Pujara has 3 impactful knocks in winning cause

Rahane has also played more impactful knocks in the matches we drew or lost

In SENA, Rahane is clearly better than Pujara if overall career in considered.

Overall, i will rate Pujara above Rahane. He was a beat at home between 2012-2017, one of the biggest reasons why we have such a phenomenal record at home. Rahane has been inconsistent at home.

Please tell this to your fellow countrymen.

Regarding the last point, as I already said. India has many players that do well at home but only Kohli and Rahane have credible numbers away from home. In SENA, It's Kohli -- daylight-- and then Rahane.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Pujara also won a test in Southampton, England in 2018.

India lost that Test.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

My point is that when you consider the fact that he is an inferior batsman to Laxman, Amarnath, Vishwanath, Ganguly in tough alien conditions, it tells us that he is nothing special in SENA also.

The only reason why he is second best in SENA after Kohli and actually more closer to Pujara is because there is a landslide gap between Kohli and the second best in SENA. He would have been our highly impactful player had he averaged 45 in SENA rather than 39 even after keeping up that 39 average at home.

You are fundamentally misunderstanding my argument. It was never about whether he is one of the greats or not. It is rather whether he is one of the best India currently has or not.

When you look at the Indian team where everyone of the batsmen I mentioned are averaging in the 20s in SENA, you need to understand that Rahane's average of 39 (which is not great) means alot. Because it shows he can score runs in SENA as opposed to the others who cannot.

I also find it ludicrous that Pujara is given a free-pass by Indians here simply because he has done well in India and produced one ATG series-winning performance in Australia above a mountain of failures. Rahane had 2 bad series in England and New Zealand that brought his average in SENA down. Why doesn't he get the same free-pass especially when he produced the kind of performance in Melbourne?

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Pujara has 3 imapctfull winning knocks?

What revisionism is this lol.

Pujara has had a hand in every single one of our SENA wins except Melbourne 2020.

Only Lord's can be called a support role but anyone who had watched the game would know if he had fell, we could have been bundled out.

Our of the 5 wins credited to rahane... Pujara had a hand in 4.

Lords 2014 minor.
Joberg 2018 same as Rahane.
Nottingham 2018 same as Rahane.
Adelaide 2018 he was the guy.
Melbourne 2020 he didn't click.

Plus he had a hand in 2 more... Melbourne 2018 and Sydney 2018 which was practically a win without rain.

Rahane had a win missed out in Wellington 2013...but so did Pujara in Joberg 2013.

Both of them scored in Durban 2013.

Excluding all this Pujara bat's at 3..
Faces bowlers at their very best.... Blunts it for the rest of the bat so that the likes of Rahane can come and score against the old ball and tired bowlers...

Inspite of that, Rahane has inferior stats to him in SENA post 2015.

I do hope Rahane scores like crazy this series but ids just fashionable to call him better cos he looks better.

The reality is different tho.

 

[Ab Fan]

You are fundamentally misunderstanding my argument. It was never about whether he is one of the greats or not. It is rather whether he is one of the best India currently has or not.

When you look at the Indian team where everyone of the batsmen I mentioned are averaging in the 20s in SENA, you need to understand that Rahane's average of 39 (which is not great) means alot. Because it shows he can score runs in SENA as opposed to the others who cannot.

I also find it ludicrous that Pujara is given a free-pass by Indians here simply because he has done well in India and produced one ATG series-winning performance in Australia above a mountain of failures. Rahane had 2 bad series in England and New Zealand that brought his average in SENA down. Why doesn't he get the same free-pass especially when he produced the kind of performance in Melbourne?

Irrespective of other posters opinion, I still rate Rahane better than Pujara in SENA but only slightly, surely after the Melbourne 2020 knock. Lords 2014( which Rahane himself rates his best) and Melbourne 2020 are both iconic knocks in my book.

Having said that, Pujara is miles ahead of Rahane in India and Sri Lanka and just because Rahane is only slightly ahead of Chepu in SENA, I just can't agree to the idea that he is second most important Indian batsman after Kohli among current generation players.

Melbourne 2020 though is truly an outstanding performance. It is a performance that not just gives us a test win but completely thumps the whole assumption that since India won the 2018 Australia series without Smith and Warner, it was not a great achievement or can't be counted as valid.

Rahane's Melbourne 2020 performance has, in a way, preserved the legacy of Virat Kohli, the captain and Cheteshwar Pujara, the batsman which was built in 2018 tour of Australia. If we would have lost this series 4-0 or even 3-0 that assumption would have become true.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I apologize if my post came across as too harsh.

But sorry bud... Your analysis is all wrp g.

Check Pujara's Sena numbers after the first cycle post 2015.

Its easily superior to Rahane.

You gotta slice and dice stats to see the reality.

No need to apologize. You are entitled to your opinion even if its wrong.

You are completely missing my point, which is that Rahane has always been a more consistent performer in SENA whereas Pujara has one ATG series-winning performance and a couple of random knocks above a mountain of failures. Rahane had two bad series in England and New Zealand which brought his otherwise very good average in SENA down. But when it comes to Pujara's mountain of overseas failures which BTW continued earlier this year in New Zealand, he is given a free-pass.

Why first cycle post 2015? Because it suits your argument? Or did you go look to the exact point Pujara finally started scoring some runs abroad?

Pujara's SENA stats are inflated by one series. Take that out and you will get a complete picture of the kind of player he has been for India in the long-run.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

No need to apologize. You are entitled to your opinion even if its wrong.

You are completely missing my point, which is that Rahane has always been a more consistent performer in SENA whereas Pujara has one ATG series-winning performance and a couple of random knocks above a mountain of failures. Rahane had two bad series in England and New Zealand which brought his otherwise very good average in SENA down. But when it comes to Pujara's mountain of overseas failures which BTW continued earlier this year in New Zealand, he is given a free-pass.

Why first cycle post 2015? Because it suits your argument? Or did you go look to the exact point Pujara finally started scoring some runs abroad?

Pujara's SENA stats are inflated by one series. Take that out and you will get a complete picture of the kind of player he has been for India in the long-run.

Rahane hasn't been a consistent performer in SENA since 2015.

Thats the problem buddy.

The games he doesn't perform, he adds no value unlike Pujara.

Add to the fact that he bats in a far easier spot... And you can see the comparison ain't right.

----

2015 is 5 years ago.

Vinod Kambli's test average is 54 something. So why was he dropped? Cos the stats are due to his prowess in his initial games which is why even after sucking for so long, he still has an average of 54.

-----

Of course, anything can happen in this series but I am talking about performance uptil now.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

No need to apologize. You are entitled to your opinion even if its wrong.

You are completely missing my point, which is that Rahane has always been a more consistent performer in SENA whereas Pujara has one ATG series-winning performance and a couple of random knocks above a mountain of failures. Rahane had two bad series in England and New Zealand which brought his otherwise very good average in SENA down. But when it comes to Pujara's mountain of overseas failures which BTW continued earlier this year in New Zealand, he is given a free-pass.

Why first cycle post 2015? Because it suits your argument? Or did you go look to the exact point Pujara finally started scoring some runs abroad?

Pujara's SENA stats are inflated by one series. Take that out and you will get a complete picture of the kind of player he has been for India in the long-run.

Even in the good series in England in 2014...he was averaging in 30s if I am not wrong.

He may have had just 2 bad series but that shows how little impact he has had even when he has a good series.

Pujara has had 3 bad series by that logic.

NZ 2014.
England 2014.
Aus 2015.

2 out of the 3 series, he still made a mark in spite of being poor.

We wouldnt have drawn 2 tests in Aus without Pujara and he was woeful that series.

 

[Ab Fan]

I have made peace with all the failures of Rahane after the win in Melbourne 2020. It is truly special and proves that irrespective of rankings, India are the best test team of this generation and that Australia away win wasn't fluke by any metric.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Irrespective of other posters opinion, I still rate Rahane better than Pujara in SENA but only slightly, surely after the Melbourne 2020 knock. Lords 2014( which Rahane himself rates his best) and Melbourne 2020 are both iconic knocks in my book.

Having said that, Pujara is miles ahead of Rahane in India and Sri Lanka and just because Rahane is only slightly ahead of Chepu in SENA, I just can't agree to the idea that he is second most important Indian batsman after Kohli among current generation players.

Melbourne 2020 though is truly an outstanding performance. It is a performance that not just gives us a test win but completely thumps the whole assumption that since India won the 2018 Australia series without Smith and Warner, it was not a great achievement or can't be counted as valid.

Rahane's Melbourne 2020 performance has, in a way, preserved the legacy of Virat Kohli, the captain and Cheteshwar Pujara, the batsman which was built in 2018 tour of Australia. If we would have lost this series 4-0 or even 3-0 that assumption would have become true.

I never disputed the fact that Pujara is a much, much better batsman in India than Rahane. In fact you could argue that most batsmen in the Indian team are better batsmen than Rahane at home.

That said, Rahane can't be written off at home either. Yes he may not be on Pujara or Kohli's level in those conditions but he has produced many performances of note in India aswell like the 188 against New Zealand or a century in both innings on that minefield in Delhi against South Africa.

Regarding Melbourne 2020, I know. And the achievement is further accentuated by the fact that India were cleaned up for 36 in the last test and Rahane's performance with the bat came at a time when getting his wicket could easily have turned the game in Australia's favor. But it didn't and his innings made all the difference which is precisely why it matters so much.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

[MENTION=134809]sensible-indian-fan[/MENTION] For someone who hasn't even read my post I have indulged you much more than I should have. At the end I would just say that you are entitled to your opinion but so am I.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I never disputed the fact that Pujara is a much, much better batsman in India than Rahane. In fact you could argue that most batsmen in the Indian team are better batsmen than Rahane at home.

That said, Rahane can't be written off at home either. Yes he may not be on Pujara or Kohli's level in those conditions but he has produced many performances of note in India aswell like the 188 against New Zealand or a century in both innings on that minefield in Delhi against South Africa.

Regarding Melbourne 2020, I know. And the achievement is further accentuated by the fact that India were cleaned up for 36 in the last test and Rahane's performance with the bat came at a time when getting his wicket could easily have turned the game in Australia's favor. But it didn't and his innings made all the difference which is precisely why it matters so much.

Rahane is mentally strong so he has had one or two quality knocks at home.

But overall, He has been very very poor scoring easy runs while others do the hard work.

I have seen every single one of our home tests.. Most of them ball to ball... And trust me, Rahane has been really unimpactful at home.

That NZ test you referring to was easy batting conditions.... Rahane after failing the whole series scored 188 there on a dead rubber.

All the tough runs scored by others.

And that SA series which you referring to.... The Delhi pitch was a pace friendly in first innings and a complete patta in 2nd (remember abd blockathon).

Rahane after failing to put bat on ball the whole series ended up scoring 2 centuries in the last test and ended being the highest scorer with highest average in that series...

You know who actually won us that series scoring the runs in tough spin tracks when it mattered?

Vijay and Pujara.

Kohli has Stat boosted a lot at home too but he has had a lot more jmpactful performances... Rahane has mostly Stat boosted.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Rahane is mentally strong so he has had one or two quality knocks at home.

But overall, He has been very very poor scoring easy runs while others do the hard work.

I have seen every single one of our home tests.. Most of them ball to ball... And trust me, Rahane has been really unimpactful at home.

That NZ test you referring to was easy batting conditions.... Rahane after failing the whole series scored 188 there on a dead rubber.

All the tough runs scored by others.

And that SA series which you referring to.... The Delhi pitch was a pace friendly in first innings and a complete patta in 2nd (remember abd blockathon).

Rahane after failing to put bat on ball the whole series ended up scoring 2 centuries in the last test and ended being the highest scorer with highest average in that series...

You know who actually won us that series scoring the runs in tough spin tracks when it mattered?

Vijay and Pujara.

Kohli has Stat boosted a lot at home too but he has had a lot more jmpactful performances... Rahane has mostly Stat boosted.

Spinning tracks are considered tough for every team in the world except India. So please stop mentioning runs in India as tough runs. Yes they matter but not nearly as much as runs in SENA.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Spinning tracks are considered tough for every team in the world except India. So please stop mentioning runs in India as tough runs. Yes they matter but not nearly as much as runs in SENA.

You obviously don't know about some of the brutal tracks Pujara scored in when others failed.

I am only mentioning the tough spin tracks and not the flatties.

There were a few genuine tough spin tracks... Some decent ones... Some flatties.

Pujara scored in all. Even when his team mates flopped big time.

Rahane scored only in flatties and some decent tracks except the Bangalore 2017 knock which was a tough spin track.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Spinning tracks are considered tough for every team in the world except India. So please stop mentioning runs in India as tough runs. Yes they matter but not nearly as much as runs in SENA.

We have got to get over this SENA is everything mentality.

Being useless at home and having DECENT SENA tours is not as good as being invincible at home and having slight less than decent SENA tours.

Indian domination started at home and expanded overseas step by step.

Westerns don't give a damn about Aida Or but here we put them on a pedestal.

Yes SENA is important but You can't be useless In Asia too.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You obviously don't know about some of the brutal tracks Pujara scored in when others failed.

I am only mentioning the tough spin tracks and not the flatties.

There were a few genuine tough spin tracks... Some decent ones... Some flatties.

Pujara scored in all. Even when his team mates flopped big time.

Rahane scored only in flatties and some decent tracks except the Bangalore 2017 knock which was a tough spin track.

Once again you are doing the mistake of assuming. I have seen more of India's matches than you think. If anything, I rate Pujara's 202 against Australia, the innings in which he faced the most balls ever by an Indian batsman as one of the best test match knocks I have ever seen. India could have easily won that match had it not been for Marsh and Handscomb's rearguard. His 92 at Bangalore was another brilliant knock.

Still doesn't change the fact that Kohli has a better record in India than Pujara. In fact better is an understatement. Waaay better is a much more accurate statement.

Furthermore, do you know what a player is called who can score tons of runs at home but not replicate the same performances abroad? A home track bully.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

We have got to get over this SENA is everything mentality.

Being useless at home and having DECENT SENA tours is not as good as being invincible at home and having slight less than decent SENA tours.

Indian domination started at home and expanded overseas step by step.

Westerns don't give a damn about Aida Or but here we put them on a pedestal.

Yes SENA is important but You can't be useless In Asia too.

Also, what Indian overseas domination?

You guys literally won one series in Australia. If you want to count West Indies and Sri Lanka then good for you but winning in both those countries cannot really be considered an achievement.

 

[Bhaag Viru Bhaag]

He is another Asad Shafiq. Plays a good inning when he is just about to be thrown out of this team. Pujara is still better than him.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Once again you are doing the mistake of assuming. I have seen more of India's matches than you think. If anything, I rate Pujara's 202 against Australia, the innings in which he faced the most balls ever by an Indian batsman as one of the best test match knocks I have ever seen. India could have easily won that match had it not been for Marsh and Handscomb's rearguard. His 92 at Bangalore was another brilliant knock.

Still doesn't change the fact that Kohli has a better record in India than Pujara. In fact better is an understatement. Waaay better is a much more accurate statement.

Furthermore, do you know what a player is called who can score tons of runs at home but not replicate the same performances abroad? A home track bully.

Kohli is better in India than Pujara?



I think it's better to leave it here cos it's gonna take me too much energy to disprove it.

You obviously haven't watched Indian games closely if you really think that.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Also, what Indian overseas domination?

You guys literally won one series in Australia. If you want to count West Indies and Sri Lanka then good for you but winning in both those countries cannot really be considered an achievement.

I meant expanded wins overseas.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Furthermore, do you know what a player is called who can score tons of runs at home but not replicate the same performances abroad? A home track bully.

Nope.

Just cos you can't replicate home performances doesn't make you a home track bully.

Or else so many high quality players will be called home track bully.

A home track bully is someone who is useless abroad.

 

[Smbhayi]

Spinning tracks are considered tough for every team in the world except India. So please stop mentioning runs in India as tough runs. Yes they matter but not nearly as much as runs in SENA.

Lol indians can't even handle Moen Ali on non spinning pitch.. btw how one can say Rahane is consistent?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Kohli is better in India than Pujara?



I think it's better to leave it here cos it's gonna take me too much energy to disprove it.

You obviously haven't watched Indian games closely if you really think that.

I will save you the trouble.

Kohli's average in India: 68.42

Pujara's average in India: 59.84

But yeah do tell me how you are going to slice and dice the stats to suit your argument.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Nope.

Just cos you can't replicate home performances doesn't make you a home track bully.

Or else so many high quality players will be called home track bully.

A home track bully is someone who is useless abroad.

There are plenty of high quality players that are home-track bullies. Pujara is one of them.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He is another Asad Shafiq. Plays a good inning when he is just about to be thrown out of this team. Pujara is still better than him.

Asad Shafiq has never played a match-winning knock in his life. Whereas India have never lost a test match when Rahane has scored a century.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Didn't even have to read the thread.

OPs analysis is all wrong.

/thread

Came across this just now and had to take a moment to laugh.

Analysis is defined as: the detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.

How can you say someone's analysis (which is a detailed examination of a particular thing) is wrong when you haven't even read it?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Dear Indian posters, I am not surprised to see this reaction from you. I know how biased you all are which is why I wrote this post in the first place.

But if you all simply bothered to read to my post instead of positing the very same arguments I tried to debunk in the post then maybe we could have some balanced discourse.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

I will save you the trouble.

Kohli's average in India: 68.42

Pujara's average in India: 59.84

But yeah do tell me how you are going to slice and dice the stats to suit your argument.

You think I don't know that?

lmao.

That's all you got buddy.

Dig a bit more and you will see the truth.

I have posted way too much about this in the past.

If I had time, I would indulge you.

But I don't.

Kohli is not even CLOSE to Pujara in tests at home.

There are plenty of high quality players that are home-track bullies. Pujara is one of them.

Wrong.

Came across this just now and had to take a moment to laugh.

Analysis is defined as: the detailed examination of the elements or structure of something.

How can you say someone's analysis (which is a detailed examination of a particular thing) is wrong when you haven't even read it?

I saw the gist of it.

Your analysis is based on overall SENA numbers without context on the full picture.

Dear Indian posters, I am not surprised to see this reaction from you. I know how biased you all are which is why I wrote this post in the first place.

But if you all simply bothered to read to my post instead of positing the very same arguments I tried to debunk in the post then maybe we could have some balanced discourse.

You can call us biased.

We would just call your arguments as weak.

Even the 2 examples you gave of Rahane was faulty. I knew you would bring it up at some point.

The more you dig into, the more you will be able to understand the brilliance of Pujara in Asia.

 

[Ab Fan]

You think I don't know that?

lmao.

That's all you got buddy.

Dig a bit more and you will see the truth.

I have posted way too much about this in the past.

If I had time, I would indulge you.

But I don't.

Kohli is not even CLOSE to Pujara in tests at home.



Wrong.



I saw the gist of it.

Your analysis is based on overall SENA numbers without context on the full picture.



You can call us biased.

We would just call your arguments as weak.

Even the 2 examples you gave of Rahane was faulty. I knew you would bring it up at some point.

The more you dig into, the more you will be able to understand the brilliance of Pujara in Asia.

Just randomly asking,

1) What would be your list of top 5 Indian test batsman ever?

2) Pujara vs Laxman, who you rate higher?

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Kohli is better in India than Pujara?



I think it's better to leave it here cos it's gonna take me too much energy to disprove it.

You obviously haven't watched Indian games closely if you really think that.

Saving you the trouble part 2.

In India, Kohli has scored more runs than Pujara, in lesser innings, at a far better average and a significantly better strike-rate. When all is said and done, Kohli's numbers in India might even go down as the greatest ever if he is able to maintain this kind of form.

And average of 68 and a strike rate of 60 in India is unheard of. And only Gavaskar and Tendulkar have scored more centuries in India than him, in far more matches.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You think I don't know that?

lmao.

That's all you got buddy.

Dig a bit more and you will see the truth.

I have posted way too much about this in the past.

If I had time, I would indulge you.

But I don't.

Kohli is not even CLOSE to Pujara in tests at home.



Wrong.



I saw the gist of it.

Your analysis is based on overall SENA numbers without context on the full picture.



You can call us biased.

We would just call your arguments as weak.

Even the 2 examples you gave of Rahane was faulty. I knew you would bring it up at some point.

The more you dig into, the more you will be able to understand the brilliance of Pujara in Asia.

Just because your definition of home-track bully is different doesn't mean it isn't true.

And to say Pujara is better than Kohli is frankly a joke on its own that doesn't need to be entertained more than it already has been.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You think I don't know that?

lmao.

That's all you got buddy.

Dig a bit more and you will see the truth.

I have posted way too much about this in the past.

If I had time, I would indulge you.

But I don't.

Kohli is not even CLOSE to Pujara in tests at home.



Wrong.



I saw the gist of it.

Your analysis is based on overall SENA numbers without context on the full picture.



You can call us biased.

We would just call your arguments as weak.

Even the 2 examples you gave of Rahane was faulty. I knew you would bring it up at some point.

The more you dig into, the more you will be able to understand the brilliance of Pujara in Asia.

You also seem to have this grave misconception that scoring runs in Asia is some kind of a massive achievement for an Asian batsman, which it is not. Pujara has spent his entire life batting on flat Ranji Trophy pitches where scoring 600 is the norm and where even players like Jadeja have triple centuries. The great Asian players will always be judged on their performances SENA because that is where they are put out of their comfort zone. That's just how it is whether you like it or not. The players know it, the coaches know it, the fans know it. Whether you choose to accept it or not is meaningless.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Do a breakdown or Pujara vs Kohli in Asia series by series...and Pujara would absolutely DESTROY Kohli the bat there.

2011 NZ Series - Pujara and Kohli scored a century each.

2012 Eng Series - Pujara wildly outperformed Kohli.

2013 Aus series - Pujara was the STAR while kohli played one good game and was ok in others. Check Pujara's 4th innings masterclass against Lyon on a ridiculous turner in Delhi. He scored 80 at 80 or 100 SR. Take that out and India would lose.

2015 SL - Kohli dropped Pujara under ridiculous pretences.....Got him to open in a green track on a decider...Pujara scored 145* and won us the match and series.

2015 SA series - Pujara won us the series with Vijay while Kohli flopped.

2016 NZ - Both Pujara and Kohli did well.

2016 Eng - Kohli was the star while Pujara did contribute with crucial knocks throughout the series.

2017 Aus - Pujara won us the test series while Kohli averaged like 10.

At this point..Pujara averaged 62 in India.....Kohli averaged 55.

The only series where he outperformed Pujara was the Eng series.....where he scored a mountian of runs.

Pujara on the hand, played a huge role in almost all the series. In fact, take him out of the 2015 SA and 2017 Aus and 2015 SL series...and we might have not won or maybe even lost it.

After this the game starts for Kohli.

Kohli does this (averages):

152 agianst SL in India (104, 213, 243 agianst them)

92 against WI in India

158 against SA in India (20, 31*, 254*, 12) - That SA series he flopped in game 1 and 3. But had a bumper game 2 so averaged 158.

68 against Bangladesh in India

-----

Meanwhile Pujara had these returns:

57 against SL

48 against WI

36 against SA (his only failure at home )

54 against Bangladesh

-----

If you wanna rate Kohli better than Pujara based on a bunch of 200s against SL and that 254* vs SA.....go ahead.

Might as well crown Rohit as a king in Indian conditions since he averages 88 in India.

What a legend compared to both Puji and Kohli.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Just because your definition of home-track bully is different doesn't mean it isn't true.

And to say Pujara is better than Kohli is frankly a joke on its own that doesn't need to be entertained more than it already has been.

Home track bully is referred to those who are useless away.

Others aren't called insulting names like home track bully. They may not be called ATG but not home track bully.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You also seem to have this grave misconception that scoring runs in Asia is some kind of a massive achievement for an Asian batsman, which it is not. Pujara has spent his entire life batting on flat Ranji Trophy pitches where scoring 600 is the norm and where even players like Jadeja have triple centuries. The great Asian players will always be judged on their performances SENA because that is where they are put out of their comfort zone. That's just how it is whether you like it or not. The players know it, the coaches know it, the fans know it. Whether you choose to accept it or not is meaningless.

Oh God...man.

Your ignorance is hilarious now.

Continue with this.

No wonder you "analyzed" Rahane as better than Pujara in SENA

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Just randomly asking,

1) What would be your list of top 5 Indian test batsman ever?

2) Pujara vs Laxman, who you rate higher?

1. I have to think it over haha.

I guess:

1. Sachin

2. Kohli (I am not sure about this to be fair)

3. Gavaskar/Dravid

4. Dravid/Gavaskar

5. Anyone from Sehwag/Laxman/Pujara/Gundappa Vishwanath depending upon your criteria (hard to categorize them...they were all flawed geniuses)

-----

2. Laxman away from Asia. Pujara is almost invincible in Asia. His body of work is second to none.

 

[Ab Fan]

1. I have to think it over haha.

I guess:

1. Sachin

2. Kohli (I am not sure about this to be fair)

3. Gavaskar/Dravid

4. Dravid/Gavaskar

5. Anyone from Sehwag/Laxman/Pujara/Gundappa Vishwanath depending upon your criteria (hard to categorize them...they were all flawed geniuses)

-----

2. Laxman away from Asia. Pujara is almost invincible in Asia. His body of work is second to none.

Thanks! Makes sense.

 

[Mamoon]

Irrespective of what the raw numbers suggest, Pujara is not better than Kohli in any conditions.

Kohli is a dominant batsmen with a fear factor and crease presence similar to the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Sir Viv.

Pujara is simply not in that league. Kohli’s wicket remains the most prized Indian wicket for the opposition regardless of the conditions and the venue or even his form at the time.

Kohli dominates and grabs the game by the scruff of its neck. When he gets going and is in his zone, he dents the confidence of the opposition and creates an atmosphere of hopelessness.

Pujara does not have the same impact on the opposition. He grinds and wears them down but if they can get Kohli cheaply, they would back themselves to get the upper hand even if Pujara bats all day.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

Irrespective of what the raw numbers suggest, Pujara is not better than Kohli in any conditions.

Kohli is a dominant batsmen with a fear factor and crease presence similar to the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Sir Viv.

Pujara is simply not in that league. Kohli’s wicket remains the most prized Indian wicket for the opposition regardless of the conditions and the venue or even his form at the time.

Kohli dominates and grabs the game by the scruff of its neck. When he gets going and is in his zone, he dents the confidence of the opposition and creates an atmosphere of hopelessness.

Pujara does not have the same impact on the opposition. He grinds and wears them down but if they can get Kohli cheaply, they would back themselves to get the upper hand even if Pujara bats all day.

Yeah they did try in a few series in India after dismissing kohli.

Didn't work out.

We won.

Same happened in Aus 2018.

I know this won't change your mind but it ain't raw numbers.

I think you forgot how English analysts and Aussie analysts were talking about Pujara vs Kohli back in 2012/13.

Only when Kohli the superstar came about...did everything change.

Even then 2017 Aus home series was saved by Pujara & others and not Kohli.

Sometimes, the boring answer is the right answer. Stats or not.

 

[sensible-indian-fan]

You also seem to have this grave misconception that scoring runs in Asia is some kind of a massive achievement for an Asian batsman, which it is not. Pujara has spent his entire life batting on flat Ranji Trophy pitches where scoring 600 is the norm and where even players like Jadeja have triple centuries. The great Asian players will always be judged on their performances SENA because that is where they are put out of their comfort zone. That's just how it is whether you like it or not. The players know it, the coaches know it, the fans know it. Whether you choose to accept it or not is meaningless.

Oh God...man.

Your ignorance is hilarious now.

Continue with this.

No wonder you "analyzed" Rahane as better than Pujara in SENA

Sometimes my impatience can get the better of me...

The thing is you seem to be stuck in the world where India prepares flat tracks where 600 runs are easy and batsman scoring here doesn't mean a thing.

Not true.

2010 Indian pitches have been way better than the snoozefests that 2000s were.

90s pitches were turners but our players were so much better at playing spin that it didn't matter. Even those players did struggle when someone like Saqlain really turned it on in 1998 (not that we had crazy turners in that series yet Saqlain did so well).

India were in precarious situations at home in 2010s many many times and came out on top.

Because we fought our way out of those times and the guy leading the charge would be Pujara 7/8 out of 10 times.

No one is rating knocks against tired or defeated oppositions like WI/SL/SA of 2019. They still have value..but not as much. And I agree with you on that.

We are talking about high quality knocks against quality opposition (both Pujara and Kohli have played it...just that the former has played way more such knocks than Kohli at home).

 

[Ab Fan]

Irrespective of what the raw numbers suggest, Pujara is not better than Kohli in any conditions.

Kohli is a dominant batsmen with a fear factor and crease presence similar to the likes of Tendulkar, Lara, Ponting, Sir Viv.

Pujara is simply not in that league. Kohli’s wicket remains the most prized Indian wicket for the opposition regardless of the conditions and the venue or even his form at the time.

Kohli dominates and grabs the game by the scruff of its neck. When he gets going and is in his zone, he dents the confidence of the opposition and creates an atmosphere of hopelessness.

Pujara does not have the same impact on the opposition. He grinds and wears them down but if they can get Kohli cheaply, they would back themselves to get the upper hand even if Pujara bats all day.

Kohli has won us only one test in SENA conditions. Rahane has won two- Lords 2014 and Melbourne 2020 and Pujara also two, both in Australia 2018.