Babar Azam versus Lokesh Rahul

[ExpressPacer]

Surprised by how well Rahul has done in such hard conditions. I must say, I thought he would be a burden on the Indian team and that they needed an explosive opener like Dhawan or even Rohit but he's proven me wrong. The character he's shown in these past innings is all what Test match cricket is about.

He's shown absolute resilience, gut and ability. This puts him far, far ahead of Babar as a Test batsman because staying steady in a sinking ship is not something everyone can do. His inconsistency is annoying however. Babar's consistency puts him ahead of Lokesh in ODI's and maybe, with age, he can overtake him in Tests too. But as of now, Rahul is real test match batsman.

[sensible-indian-fan]

The only doubt about his was his game against spin.

And he proved that in this series.

So all he needs is to cut down risky shots (started doing that already) and his consistency will shoot up.

[shariqnoor]

As of now, I would rate Babar as a better batsman than Rahul but its the development that matters. India seems to develop their batsmen more maturely than we do. They back the talent irrespective of bad performances. While Pakistanis will shoot down even their best batsman if he has 1 bad series. Younis Khan, despite whatever he has achieved, is still look down upon many people in this forum. We have a habit of 1 day hero, the next day 0. So in 10 years time, maybe Rahul would be the better batsman.

[Gunner85]

As of now, I would rate Babar as a better batsman than Rahul but its the development that matters. India seems to develop their batsmen more maturely than we do. They back the talent irrespective of bad performances. While Pakistanis will shoot down even their best batsman if he has 1 bad series. Younis Khan, despite whatever he has achieved, is still look down upon many people in this forum. We have a habit of 1 day hero, the next day 0. So in 10 years time, maybe Rahul would be the better batsman.

Babar has a good start to his ODI career but in test matches he is still pretty unconvincing.he has problems with his technique and looked un comfortable against bouncing balls.

[shariqnoor]

Babar has a good start to his ODI career but in test matches he is still pretty unconvincing.he has problems with his technique and looked un comfortable against bouncing balls.

Yes but Babar is also very early into his Test career. You are judging Babar from Australia to Rahul in India. You could easily find Babar to be a better batsman if you saw him in UAE and saw Rahul crumbling in Australia.

[Bewal Express]

In Nature they call natural selection and it seems that batsman that survive to get to the top in the Ind team are the survivors of this incredible weeding out process. I have only seen a couple of bad Ind palyers-Rathore springs to mind and Mohammed Kaif in tests but as a rule very few bad players ever get into the Ind team.

[King Kong]

Yes but Babar is also very early into his Test career. You are judging Babar from Australia to Rahul in India. You could easily find Babar to be a better batsman if you saw him in UAE and saw Rahul crumbling in Australia.

Except that Rahul scored a 100 in his very 2nd test in Australia, 100 in Sri Lanka, West Indies and 3 fifties in 4 innings on very difficult pitches in India, not the ones like in the UAE.

[R0H1T]

Yes but Babar is also very early into his Test career. You are judging Babar from Australia to Rahul in India. You could easily find Babar to be a better batsman if you saw him in UAE and saw Rahul crumbling in Australia.

Rahul has more hundreds away than in India, his avg is above 50 (outside Asia) IIRC & that as an opener.

[Gunner85]

Yes but Babar is also very early into his Test career. You are judging Babar from Australia to Rahul in India. You could easily find Babar to be a better batsman if you saw him in UAE and saw Rahul crumbling in Australia.

Perhaps you don't know the fact that he scored a century in his debut series in Australia

[Rayyman]

In Nature they call natural selection and it seems that batsman that survive to get to the top in the Ind team are the survivors of this incredible weeding out process. I have only seen a couple of bad Ind palyers-Rathore springs to mind and Mohammed Kaif in tests but as a rule very few bad players ever get into the Ind team.

India is a factory for batsman. Plenty of their domestic players average over 45. Only one in Pak. is Fawad Alam who isn't that good.

[Ab Fan]

India's top 5:

Vijay
Rahul
Pujara
Kohli
Rahane

Doubt any team has as good top 5 as India has. The best part is that they all are entering into their peak years with Vijay already in.

[Abidi110]

Babar has a good start to his ODI career but in test matches he is still pretty unconvincing.he has problems with his technique and looked un comfortable against bouncing balls.

LOL Babar has just started his test career, remember how kohli did in test in his initial years?

[Gunner85]

Yep Virat struggled against west indies in his debut series but he turned the tide soon enough to become Virat of today.But not sure about Babar as i think he is a very limited player.

[Abidi110]

Yep Virat struggled against west indies in his debut series but he turned the tide soon enough to become Virat of today.But not sure about Babar as i think he is a very limited player.

No, because he's from Pakistan as such narrow minded indians will find him limited !

[ali2220]

Yep Virat struggled against west indies in his debut series but he turned the tide soon enough to become Virat of today.But not sure about Babar as i think he is a very limited player.

Yes, he became virat of today coz he's blessed by bhagwan, since Babar is from Pak and isn't blessed by indian God, he simply can't turn around and become a good test batter!

[Gunner85]

Yes, he became virat of today coz he's blessed by bhagwan, since Babar is from Pak and isn't blessed by indian God, he simply can't turn around and become a good test batter!

Virat even when he first arrived he had an all round game,he could grind it out,had the power game and most importantly Never say die attitude.Babar just looks like a one dimensional player

[Abidi110]

Virat even when he first arrived he had an all round game,he could grind it out,had the power game and most importantly Never say die attitude.Babar just looks like a one dimensional player

Babar is not being compared to kohli! people gave an example, and there are many other example of players who fails initially and then succeed.
To you he will be one dimensional and limited for a very obvious reason!

[jusarrived]

Sorry Indians but this time your guy isn't gonna win I never compare young Indian and Pakistani players but I can confidently say that Babar will reach some unbelievable highs

Thanks for the kind words .

it was easier to predict back then , with T20s coming in its difficult to say how a batsmen will adapt to three different formats now . Some players may cope well , the shorter format could help their overall game , but in some cases its possible while trying to develop their T20 game some bad habits may creep into their test batting .

KL and Babar are two batsmen I have backed way back from the u-19 days . I have been calling for Babars inclusion for a while now , happy hes been picked . Rahul is probably the one Indian batsmen I have been most confident of making it big after Virat .
if I have to compare between the two KL is ahead in every aspect . Technique there is no comparison , unfortunately for Babar his batting ( Gap between bat pad and playing away from body ) has similarities to other Akmal brothers to be consistent in longer formats . Not the best against spin either . He should do better than Umer though and at his best may average 45+ in tests . In the shorter formats , again unfortunately he did not inherit the power game from Akmal brothers which probably was fine had he debuted in 2005 , but a big factor these days . Statistically he could be a 45-50 average player in ODIs , but with not the same impact your expect from your best batsmen .

KL obviously I have watched him much closely , his ability to score when everyone is struggling is not new . you check scorecards of matches where his teams , be it Ind-U19 , Karnataka or Ind A have struggled and see his score in such matches you will see a pattern . Apart from that there are few other things hes already world class . Ability to score big , I dont think we have seen that yet in Intl cricket . The other thing being his game under pressure , hes been nervy and played some reckless shots but thats not due to the match situation . When the team really needs him , hes capable of either scoring 10 rpo or tuk tuk for couple of sessions .
if he lives up to his potential , probably the one batsmen who can challenge Virat in all three formats .

imo Rahul will be a notch or two above Babar in Tests and T20s and ODI's will be a lot closer .

So there is every chance this will go like Viart and Umer comparison , though here I expect Babar also having a very successful career for Pak and end as a Pak great .

[jusarrived]

Would love to hear jussarrived's opinion on this. What an eye for talent he has. Predicted Kohli will become India's captain by 2015/16 back in 2010 and Umaṛ will end up a slogger. This is when very eminent posters (living legends ;) ) were calling Kohli a "do takke ka player". He was wrong on only one count - said Umaṛ will be a better t20 player. :-)

Thanks for the kind words .

it was easier to predict back then , with T20s coming in its difficult to say how a batsmen will adapt to three different formats now . Some players may cope well , the shorter format could help their overall game , but in some cases its possible while trying to develop their T20 game some bad habits may creep into their test batting .

KL and Babar are two batsmen I have backed way back from the u-19 days . I have been calling for Babars inclusion for a while now , happy hes been picked . Rahul is probably the one Indian batsmen I have been most confident of making it big after Virat .
if I have to compare between the two KL is ahead in every aspect . Technique there is no comparison , unfortunately for Babar his batting ( Gap between bat pad and playing away from body ) has similarities to other Akmal brothers to be consistent in longer formats . Not the best against spin either . He should do better than Umer though and at his best may average 45+ in tests . In the shorter formats , again unfortunately he did not inherit the power game from Akmal brothers which probably was fine had he debuted in 2005 , but a big factor these days . Statistically he could be a 45-50 average player in ODIs , but with not the same impact your expect from your best batsmen .

KL obviously I have watched him much closely , his ability to score when everyone is struggling is not new . you check scorecards of matches where his teams , be it Ind-U19 , Karnataka or Ind A have struggled and see his score in such matches you will see a pattern . Apart from that there are few other things hes already world class . Ability to score big , I dont think we have seen that yet in Intl cricket . The other thing being his game under pressure , hes been nervy and played some reckless shots but thats not due to the match situation . When the team really needs him , hes capable of either scoring 10 rpo or tuk tuk for couple of sessions .
if he lives up to his potential , probably the one batsmen who can challenge Virat in all three formats .

imo Rahul will be a notch or two above Babar in Tests and T20s and ODI's will be a lot closer .

So there is every chance this will go like Viart and Umer comparison , though here I expect Babar also having a very successful career for Pak and end as a Pak great .
- See more at: http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/sh...48#post9142748

[Arsalan Pro]

Both are great batsmen, but Babar Azam is better at the moment.

[jusarrived]

Both are great batsmen, but Babar Azam is better at the moment.

Can you explain how ?
I keep hearing this about every new batsmen Pak produces . This time I agree Babar is talented , but Rahul is versatile . Babar will never have the allround game that Rahul has , cos these things cannot be trained .

[kingusama92]

Rahul and Azam are in the same tier as prospects.

I rate both highly.

Azam is one of those prospects who'd actually fit nicely into the Indian system if he was born on that side of the border.

PAK has a real gem in him and likewise with Rahul for IND.

[Citizen4]

why compare Babar with Rahul?

Rahul is almost 25. compare the inconsistent Rahul with someone of his age group, like Shehzad

[cricketjoshila]

why compare Babar with Rahul?

Rahul is almost 25. compare the inconsistent Rahul with someone of his age group, like Shehzad

2 and a half years difference between their ages.LOL.

[jagatk]

Both have a long way to go to be even considered decent, rahul needs to sort his injury issues, i can't say much about babar as i have not seen him play much. Also with a bit of time we will see bowlers find their weak spots that is when we will see if either is capable of Future ATG status that many seem to think they are.

[bleaf27]

As of now, I would rate Babar as a better batsman than Rahul but its the development that matters. India seems to develop their batsmen more maturely than we do. They back the talent irrespective of bad performances. While Pakistanis will shoot down even their best batsman if he has 1 bad series. Younis Khan, despite whatever he has achieved, is still look down upon many people in this forum. We have a habit of 1 day hero, the next day 0. So in 10 years time, maybe Rahul would be the better batsman.

Any good reasons except blind love for Rating Babar as better atm ? also Rahul would be better in 10 years time ? Really ? I'm sure Rahul is already ahead if not I can say maybe within a year or so things would be quite clear , where are you getting the magical number of 10 years ?

[Hasan123]

Obviously Rahul is going too look so much better when Babar isn't even playing, so unfair on Babar to bump this thread when he's not playing. Saying that as it stands,in tests Rahul is just ahead whilst in LO Babar is the better player.

[Mamoon]

Babar has more potential in both Tests and ODIs. One bad Test series in Australia doesn't change a thing

He will go down as a much better ODI player than the overrated amla

Babar needs to improve his power-hitting. For this, he doesn't need to lift big but rather, make some technical adjustments. He has the base and the bat speed but not the swing yet. If he doesn't, he will remain an Amla/Williamson type ODI/T20 player. Good numbers, but not the impact and regardless of how much time he spends at the crease, he won't be a threat to the opposition.

Rahul is pretty much there already. It is only a matter of experience now and achieving a certain mental zone. He is extremely gifted and a complete batsman already. When he bats well, he looks better than anyone in his team including Kohli. In a few years, I don't see anyone challenging him as an opener across all three formats.

It is not a shame to admit that at the moment, he is above Babar in every single aspect of batting. That obviously does not mean that Babar cannot match him in the long run. As I have stated multiple time already, no better batsman has emerged from Pakistan since Mohammad Yousuf in the late 1990s. He has all the gifts for batting - hand-eye, ideal height, balance, loose but powerful wrists and bat speed. Just needs minor technical adjustments and he will be right up there. Nonetheless, that is the biggest challenge for him. Pakistan does not understand batting and how it works, but no one is better than Indian when it comes to developing batsmen. Rahul has an incomparably superior environment to thrive in, which is why the likes of Mickey and other qualified foreign coaches need to be at the helm during the first few years of Babar's development.

[Mamoon]

Obviously Rahul is going too look so much better when Babar isn't even playing, so unfair on Babar to bump this thread when he's not playing. Saying that as it stands,in tests Rahul is just ahead whilst in LO Babar is the better player.

Everyone saw enough of Babar in the PSL and the things he needs to improve on. He does not have Rahul's extra gear at the moment, and is thus superior in all three formats for now. He will struggle to score 110 in 50 balls against any opposition in any ground, that is just not his game. However, there isn't an innings that Babar has played in any format that cannot be replicated by Rahul.

[Hasan123]

Everyone saw enough of Babar in the PSL and the things he needs to improve on. He does not have Rahul's extra gear at the moment, and is thus superior in all three formats for now. He will struggle to score 110 in 50 balls against any opposition in any ground, that is just not his game. However, there isn't an innings that Babar has played in any format that cannot be replicated by Rahul.

Yes clearly Rahul has more gears than Babar, but KL has gotten of too good starts and than thrown it away. More than likely he will come good but at least Babar once in can get big scores.

Tbf KL hasn't played enough LO cricket for India. Even on difficult pitches in the current series ** Australia, he looks Indias best player. Which shows how talented he is.

I think under Arthur, Babar can improve and learn how to go up the gears.

[bleaf27]

Yes clearly Rahul has more gears than Babar, but KL has gotten of too good starts and than thrown it away. More than likely he will come good but at least Babar once in can get big scores.

Tbf KL hasn't played enough LO cricket for India. Even on difficult pitches in the current series ** Australia, he looks Indias best player. Which shows how talented he is.

I think under Arthur, Babar can improve and learn how to go up the gears.

I agree , I find Babar as one of the finest batting talent's since Inzamam. I never believed in the hype of U Akmal and rightly so. I think Babar needs time to be properly groomed and himself get the confidence and understanding to play longer innings .
Rahul is definitely ahead at this point but they are both quite early in thei LOI careers . Rahul does have more gears and can hit the big ones , Babar needs to improve upon that.

[Hasan123]

I agree , I find Babar as one of the finest batting talent's since Inzamam. I never believed in the hype of U Akmal and rightly so. I think Babar needs time to be properly groomed and himself get the confidence and understanding to play longer innings .
Rahul is definitely ahead at this point but they are both quite early in thei LOI careers . Rahul does have more gears and can hit the big ones , Babar needs to improve upon that.

Playing at number 3 in tests will help him learn to bat longer.

Both can improve . The development of both players will be exciting no doubt.

[Syed1]

I gotta admit this ongoing series is the first time I saw Rahul and he looks a cut above the rest of his teammates.

[Chief Destroyer]

Indians seem more worried about Babar's future than Pakistanis.:

[Citizen4]

2 and a half years difference between their ages.LOL.

Babar is 22 Rahul is turning 25 after a few weeks.

Rahul wasn't even good enough to make the national team when he was Babar's age

[jagatk]

Babar is 22 Rahul is turning 25 after a few weeks.

Rahul wasn't even good enough to make the national team when he was Babar's age

Do you think current babar azam would get into the indian team 3 years ago

[Zohaib Shah]

Do you think current babar azam would get into the indian team 3 years ago

Current Babar would be given a Kohli run.

[Citizen4]

Do you think current babar azam would get into the indian team 3 years ago

Babar is already world class in ODI, he will make ODI squad of any team in the world right now

Only delusional Indians underrate Babar

joint fastest to 1000 ODI runs, youngest to score 3 consecutive ODI 100s, only 8th in the history to do that. Plus averaged over 50 in Australia ODI series as well.

He's better than any Indian ODI batsman except Kohli himself.

[jagatk]

Babar is already world class in ODI, he will make ODI squad of any team in the world right now

Only delusional Indians underrate Babar

joint fastest to 1000 ODI runs, youngest to score 3 consecutive ODI 100s, only 8th in the history to do that. Plus averaged over 50 in Australia ODI series as well.

He's better than any Indian ODI batsman except Kohli himself.

Talk about over rating a player, can someone who has played a huge 23 odi's be called world class. I am pretty sure umar akmal had a similar start to his career, look how that panned out. Let him atleast play 75-100 odi's before calling him worldclass.

[Citizen4]

Talk about over rating a player, can someone who has played a huge 23 odi's be called world class. I am pretty sure umar akmal had a similar start to his career, look how that panned out. Let him atleast play 75-100 odi's before calling him worldclass.

only less knowledgable people like you would say that

Umar had a good start but not nearly as good as Babar

I'm pretty sure you have not watched any game where Babar played, especially the last ODI series

Babar is averaging near 60 in ODIs since the start of 2016, and that's the 6th highest average in that period, numbers don't lie

If you still don't wanna accept it as world class ODI stats then you have the choice to be delusional

[jusarrived]

only less knowledgable people like you would say that

Umar had a good start but not nearly as good as Babar

I'm pretty sure you have not watched any game where Babar played, especially the last ODI series

Babar is averaging near 60 in ODIs since the start of 2016, and that's the 6th highest average in that period, numbers don't lie

If you still don't wanna accept it as world class ODI stats then you have the choice to be delusional

Statistically yes , but has had very little impact .So numbers do lie .
He needs to start winning matches . So yes after 23 games no player ever has been termed world class , Babar is not an exception .

[Tekcirc]

Babar is already world class in ODI, he will make ODI squad of any team in the world right now

Only delusional Indians underrate Babar

joint fastest to 1000 ODI runs, youngest to score 3 consecutive ODI 100s, only 8th in the history to do that. Plus averaged over 50 in Australia ODI series as well.

He's better than any Indian ODI batsman except Kohli himself.

A guy whose Test average is 27, and ODI avg of 53. We can just assume one of them is a serious anomaly.

Babar Azam has nearly 50% of his ODI runs against minnows (Zim, Ireland and a depleted WI).

Just the similar route of hyping Umar Akmal beyond all things when he started, same thing being done with Babar Azam.

[Citizen4]

Statistically yes , but has had very little impact .So numbers do lie .
He needs to start winning matches . So yes after 23 games no player ever has been termed world class , Babar is not an exception .

well by that logic, Yasir was the fastest Asian to reach 100 test wickets, he is not world class either? he had a bad series in Australai where 90% spinners struggle, but besides that he's world class

but according to your biased opinion no Pakistani is world class only Indians are world class

[Tekcirc]

well by that logic, Yasir was the fastest Asian to reach 100 test wickets, he is not world class either? he had a bad series in Australai where 90% spinners struggle, but besides that he's world class

but according to your biased opinion no Pakistani is world class only Indians are world class

Calm down!! Calm down!

[cricketjoshila]

Babar is 22 Rahul is turning 25 after a few weeks.

Rahul wasn't even good enough to make the national team when he was Babar's age

In a few weeks time Babar will be 22 and a half as well.Or does he not age?

Rahul Dravid was also not good enough to be in the Indian team when he was Babar's age.By your theory Babar Azam is better than Rahul Dravid.

[cricketjoshila]

Babar is already world class in ODI, he will make ODI squad of any team in the world right now

Only delusional Indians underrate Babar

joint fastest to 1000 ODI runs, youngest to score 3 consecutive ODI 100s, only 8th in the history to do that. Plus averaged over 50 in Australia ODI series as well.

He's better than any Indian ODI batsman except Kohli himself.

LOL at calling someone who hasnt even played 50 ODIs as world class and then calling Indians delusional.

[jusarrived]

well by that logic, Yasir was the fastest Asian to reach 100 test wickets, he is not world class either? he had a bad series in Australai where 90% spinners struggle, but besides that he's world class

but according to your biased opinion no Pakistani is world class only Indians are world class

if you think 100 test wickets is the same as 1000 ODI runs , I cant argue with you .

I have never called any Indian world class after 20 odd matches .

[JaDed]

Babar beats him in fitness not technically though,also in Indian team its not easy for a batsman to break into at age 22 because most of time we have settled batting unit so not sure why that point was brought in.

[Rotoman]

If you think Babar will get into any team in the world, you are deluded. If he somehow does get into a team like Australia, Babar would've been dropped for eternity if he played 'me, me' like he did against Australia.

[Madplayer]

I was the earliest supporters of Babar Azam when most people couldn't see he was special. A few years ago, In a thread talking about the best upcoming youngsters in the world, i very clearly mentioned that no upcoming youngster comes even close to his ability with the bat. I was proved right more or less. At that time many people used to rate players like litton das above Babar.

Now that Babar has well and truly announced himself at the international scene, I feel he has a lot of room to improve to be counted among the big boys. He cannot live off that tag of best upcoming youngster always. He has performed quite well in his short career so far and credit to him for that.

I know it's still early days for him but as he moves from the early part of his career into the early-middle part, he needs to start stamping his authority every now and then. He is scoring runs no doubt but apart from scoring those runs consistently, the time is approaching where he will have to play an innings every now and then where he holds the game from the scruff of the neck and takes his team over the line when others are struggling.

He needs to develop power hitting because at this point of time, his 70-80 scores is just able to keep the team on track for a while but they are incapable of taking the team over the line. The final push never arrives. He needs to improve it and i am sure he can do it with time. We just need to be patient. Till then he is just a good player for Pak.

Fans are impatient though. Some think he is already a world beater and some think he will never be a great player. As of now, both are wrong.

As far as comparisons with KL rahul are concerned, KL seems to be more developed with a better all round game. He scores when others are struggling , glimpses of which Babar too showed in NZ test series in much more hostile conditions for subcontinent players. KL rahul ,right now, is a player who can score a 25 ball 50 in t20s, an 80 ball 100 in ODIs and 200 ball 100 in tests regularly. Babar, at this stage, cannot do that. That doesn't mean that he will never be able to do that.

I think Babar's game has a terrific base. His wrists are strong, his hand eye coordination is great and he can play amazing shots. It is up to him to develop into a batsman who can be counted among the best players in the world and not remain a good player for Pakistan. Just be patient with him as he enters the next phase of his career where people will begin to know who he is.

[Pollack]

Indians here are jealous of Babar's success and can't see a Pakistani batsman progress

after he breaks several records, trucks of burnol will be required for those Indians

This should be bookmarked for now.Indians are not jealous. Rahul is way way better than Babar stats not withstanding. Indians produce world class batsman like a machine.We have an eye for identifying batting talent.You may now feel that we are biased but if you are honest you would understand what we meant after few years.Even if Babar indeed improves to be world class we wouldn't be jealous because we aren't saying he is not a batsman to watch out for.

[Citizen4]

I was the earliest supporters of Babar Azam when most people couldn't see he was special. A few years ago, In a thread talking about the best upcoming youngsters in the world, i very clearly mentioned that no upcoming youngster comes even close to his ability with the bat. I was proved right more or less. At that time many people used to rate players like litton das above Babar.

Now that Babar has well and truly announced himself at the international scene, I feel he has a lot of room to improve to be counted among the big boys. He cannot live off that tag of best upcoming youngster always. He has performed quite well in his short career so far and credit to him for that.

I know it's still early days for him but as he moves from the early part of his career into the early-middle part, he needs to start stamping his authority every now and then. He is scoring runs no doubt but apart from scoring those runs consistently, the time is approaching where he will have to play an innings every now and then where he holds the game from the scruff of the neck and takes his team over the line when others are struggling.

He needs to develop power hitting because at this point of time, his 70-80 scores is just able to keep the team on track for a while but they are incapable of taking the team over the line. The final push never arrives. He needs to improve it and i am sure he can do it with time. We just need to be patient. Till then he is just a good player for Pak.

Fans are impatient though. Some think he is already a world beater and some think he will never be a great player. As of now, both are wrong.

As far as comparisons with KL rahul are concerned, KL seems to be more developed with a better all round game. He scores when others are struggling , glimpses of which Babar too showed in NZ test series in much more hostile conditions for subcontinent players. KL rahul ,right now, is a player who can score a 25 ball 50 in t20s, an 80 ball 100 in ODIs and 200 ball 100 in tests regularly. Babar, at this stage, cannot do that. That doesn't mean that he will never be able to do that.

I think Babar's game has a terrific base. His wrists are strong, his hand eye coordination is great and he can play amazing shots. It is up to him to develop into a batsman who can be counted among the best players in the world and not remain a good player for Pakistan. Just be patient with him as he enters the next phase of his career where people will begin to know who he is.

how can you use "regularly" and "Rahul" in the same sentence, guy is the definition of inconsistency, hve been inconsistent in all formats, does nothing for 2-3 games and scores a 100 and everyone starts talking about how good he is, he turning 25 approaching his peak, should be more consistent to truly become great, otherwise he'll join the ranks of Dhawan which is likely.

By the time Babar reaches 25th birthday he'll be averaging 50 in ODIs and tests and atleast 40 in t20s.
All he need to do is keep his head up and work hard.

[Pollack]

I was the earliest supporters of Babar Azam when most people couldn't see he was special. A few years ago, In a thread talking about the best upcoming youngsters in the world, i very clearly mentioned that no upcoming youngster comes even close to his ability with the bat. I was proved right more or less. At that time many people used to rate players like litton das above Babar.

Now that Babar has well and truly announced himself at the international scene, I feel he has a lot of room to improve to be counted among the big boys. He cannot live off that tag of best upcoming youngster always. He has performed quite well in his short career so far and credit to him for that.

I know it's still early days for him but as he moves from the early part of his career into the early-middle part, he needs to start stamping his authority every now and then. He is scoring runs no doubt but apart from scoring those runs consistently, the time is approaching where he will have to play an innings every now and then where he holds the game from the scruff of the neck and takes his team over the line when others are struggling.

He needs to develop power hitting because at this point of time, his 70-80 scores is just able to keep the team on track for a while but they are incapable of taking the team over the line. The final push never arrives. He needs to improve it and i am sure he can do it with time. We just need to be patient. Till then he is just a good player for Pak.

Fans are impatient though. Some think he is already a world beater and some think he will never be a great player. As of now, both are wrong.

As far as comparisons with KL rahul are concerned, KL seems to be more developed with a better all round game. He scores when others are struggling , glimpses of which Babar too showed in NZ test series in much more hostile conditions for subcontinent players. KL rahul ,right now, is a player who can score a 25 ball 50 in t20s, an 80 ball 100 in ODIs and 200 ball 100 in tests regularly. Babar, at this stage, cannot do that. That doesn't mean that he will never be able to do that.

I think Babar's game has a terrific base. His wrists are strong, his hand eye coordination is great and he can play amazing shots. It is up to him to develop into a batsman who can be counted among the best players in the world and not remain a good player for Pakistan. Just be patient with him as he enters the next phase of his career where people will begin to know who he is.

Good post!

[Madplayer]

how can you use "regularly" and "Rahul" in the same sentence, guy is the definition of inconsistency, hve been inconsistent in all formats, does nothing for 2-3 games and scores a 100 and everyone starts talking about how good he is, he turning 25 approaching his peak, should be more consistent to truly become great, otherwise he'll join the ranks of Dhawan which is likely.

By the time Babar reaches 25th birthday he'll be averaging 50 in ODIs and tests and atleast 40 in t20s.
All he need to do is keep his head up and work hard.

Yes sorry, By regularly i mean in comparison to Babar, KL can do it more often as of now. Especially taking the strike rates (LOIs) into consideration.

[Ab Fan]

Rahul is easily ahead in tests. Babar has a poor start to his test career.

Rahul is yet to make a mark in odis but he won't take long to become an established player as per ths looks of things now.

Can someone bring me some of the good knocks Babar played as of now in odis excluding the likes of WI and minnows?

[Pollack]

Rahul is easily ahead in tests. Babar has a poor start to his test career.

Rahul is yet to make a mark in odis but he won't take long to become an established player as per ths looks of things now.

Can someone bring me some of the good knocks Babar played as of now in odis excluding the likes of WI and minnows?

Not in odi but his innings against NZ was very promising.

[Citizen4]

Yes sorry, By regularly i mean in comparison to Babar, KL can do it more often as of now. Especially taking the strike rates (LOIs) into consideration.

strike rate won't be useful if he fails consistently like the last England ODI series, failed miserably on flat road pitches, btw his ODI strike rate is 81 so far

[cricketjoshila]

The level of baiting by a poster makes me wonder,who has reincarnated.

[Ab Fan]

Not in odi but his innings against NZ was very promising.

83 vs NZ in test I saw was a very good knock in bowling friendly conditions.

But I was talking of odis. He avgs 50 and that means there must be some good innings vs non minnows.

[cricketjoshila]

83 vs NZ in test I saw was a very good knock in bowling friendly conditions.

But I was talking of odis. He avgs 50 and that means there must be some good innings vs non minnows.

Has a 100 againist Aussies on a patta in adelaide.

[Citizen4]

83 vs NZ in test I saw was a very good knock in bowling friendly conditions.

But I was talking of odis. He avgs 50 and that means there must be some good innings vs non minnows.

averaged near 60 in the series in Australia, are world champions 'minnow' enough for Indians?

[Citizen4]

Has a 100 againist Aussies on a patta in adelaide.

his 91 not out in NZ test, on a green top pitch difficult to bat on, with the team collapsing around him, was better than any knock Rahul have played on international stage so far

[Ab Fan]

his 91 not out in NZ test, on a green top pitch difficult to bat on, with the team collapsing around him, was better than any knock Rahul have played on international stage so far

Nope.Rahul's 91 recently vs Aus on a rank turner was better.Scored when team was under pressure already behind 0-1 in the series.

[Citizen4]

Nope.Rahul's 91 recently vs Aus on a rank turner was better.Scored when team was under pressure already behind 0-1 in the series.

Rahul scored at home in familiar conditions, Babar played on a dangerous green mamba much different from UAE pitches.

[Ab Fan]

averaged near 60 in the series in Australia, are world champions 'minnow' enough for Indians?

Good performance but unfortunately failed to win his team a single match.Even the 100 came in the dead rubber match.

He seems to be the best contemporary Pakistan odi bat by a distance but still has a long way to go.

[Citizen4]

Good performance but unfortunately failed to win his team a single match.Even the 100 came in the dead rubber match.

He seems to be the best contemporary Pakistan odi bat by a distance but still has a long way to go.

it was expected that Pakistan will lose the series, because Pakistan is a much weaker side as compared to Australia the world champions.

Saying Babar averaging near 60 against world champions at their home grounds is nothing special, is same as saying Tendulkar was not good enough in the 90s when he scored 100s and India lost matches.

The level of jealousy, deluison is so strong that Indians don't wanna say Rahul is not as good as Babar in ODIs

[Ab Fan]

Rahul scored at home in familiar conditions, Babar played on a dangerous green mamba much different from UAE pitches.

The conditions were very difficult for batsmen home or not, and lots of applications were needed to require for staying there at the crease let alone scoring.Renshaw's 60 odd in first inning was equivalent to 130s.Such hard was it to sustain.

Rahul's knock won them the match when India were under severe pressure first time at home in really tough testing conditions against a quality bowling attack. Remember, the pitch had assistance for pacers too.

[Citizen4]

The conditions were very difficult for batsmen home or not, and lots of applications were needed to require for staying there at the crease let alone scoring.Renshaw's 60 odd in first inning was equivalent to 130s.Such hard was it to sustain.

Rahul's knock won them the match when India were under severe pressure first time at home in really tough testing conditions against a quality bowling attack. Remember, the pitch had assistance for pacers too.

Australians did not grow up on those rank turners, Indians did, Indians were always more likely to succeed on rank turners against Australian bowling that is weaker as compared to Indians in Asia.

NZ bowlers grew up on green mambas, that's why it was more difficult to bat, Pakistan played in UAE pitches which are not green mambas

[Ab Fan]

it was expected that Pakistan will lose the series, because Pakistan is a much weaker side as compared to Australia the world champions.

Saying Babar averaging near 60 against world champions at their home grounds is nothing special, is same as saying Tendulkar was not good enough in the 90s when he scored 100s and India lost matches.

The level of jealousy, deluison is so strong that Indians don't wanna say Rahul is not as good as Babar in ODIs

I think I praised Babar in my very last post.There is no delusion here. Rahul has done nothing in odis of note and Babar is obviously ahead but Rahul has still managed give the assurance of a guy who won't take long to become an established odi player.

Babar is obviously Pakistan's by far best odi bat I have said. So not sure what is the issue there. There is no point of jealousy as India already have Kohli and Rohit as two established odi players.

[Ab Fan]

Pakistan's best "current" odi bat

[Citizen4]

I think I praised Babar in my very last post.There is no delusion here. Rahul has done nothing in odis of note and Babar is obviously ahead but Rahul has still managed give the assurance of a guy who won't take long to become an established odi player.

Babar is obviously Pakistan's by far best odi bat I have said. So not sure what is the issue there. There is no point of jealousy as India already have Kohli and Rohit as two established odi players.

Babar also won't take long to become established player in all formats, will be better than Rahul, who is likely to go down Dhawan's path

[Ab Fan]

Babar also won't take long to become established player in all formats, will be better than Rahul, who is likely to go down Dhawan's path

Rahul is an all condition player unlike Dhawan.

He already has hundreds wherever he has played till now. Away hundreds in Aus, Sl and WI.

Didn't Babar missed out to score on some easy Australian pitches last year in 3 match test series?

[Citizen4]

Rahul is an all condition player unlike Dhawan.

He already has hundreds wherever he has played till now. Away hundreds in Aus, Sl and WI.

Didn't Babar missed out to score on some easy Australian pitches last year in 3 match test series?

Rahul is injury prone like Dhawan who also had a blistering start, that big 100 against Australia on test debut, and all that , later everyone got to know who he really is, an inconsistent injury prone opener

[Ab Fan]

Rahul is injury prone like Dhawan who also had a blistering start, that big 100 against Australia on test debut, and all that , later everyone got to know who he really is, an inconsistent injury prone opener

Yeah..He has to work on his fitness. I agree with this part but as a batsmen Dhawan always looked like someone who got runs inconsistently but never gave the assurance of performing whenever he came to bat and eventually turn out to be dud.

However, he is still a good odi player IMO.He did really well in that CT 2013 and WC 15 in England and Australia respectively.

[jusarrived]

Rahul is injury prone like Dhawan who also had a blistering start, that big 100 against Australia on test debut, and all that , later everyone got to know who he really is, an inconsistent injury prone opener

lol comparing Dhawan and Rahul ? we are definitely not talking cricket here

[Citizen4]

lol comparing Dhawan and Rahul ? we are definitely not talking cricket here

we're talking about 2 Indian inconsistent and injury prone openers

you can't see it because delusion is too strong

[jagatk]

Rahul is injury prone like Dhawan who also had a blistering start, that big 100 against Australia on test debut, and all that , later everyone got to know who he really is, an inconsistent injury prone opener

For starters rahul from early part of his career was picked by many as a possible future indian star, dhawan was always a hack who got a chance because our openers at that time weren't good enough. Also dhawan iirc also has a century in nz, a more apt comparison methinks.

Also if 23 odi's is enough to call azam a worldclass player should be 6 tests with avg of 27 be enough to call him a rubbish test player, normally i would wait until atleast a guy has played 30-40 odd tests before calling him anything but since we are playing by your rules, i think 20 odis and 5-6 tests seem apt for equal comparison.

[Citizen4]

For starters rahul from early part of his career was picked by many as a possible future indian star, dhawan was always a hack who got a chance because our openers at that time weren't good enough. Also dhawan iirc also has a century in nz, a more apt comparison methinks.

Also if 23 odi's is enough to call azam a worldclass player should be 6 tests with avg of 27 be enough to call him a rubbish test player, normally i would wait until atleast a guy has played 30-40 odd tests before calling him anything but since we are playing by your rules, i think 20 odis and 5-6 tests seem apt for equal comparison.

leave scoring runs to one side, I think Rahul can't even stay fit for 1 year straight playing all formats, he'll get injured again soon, and it won't be a surprise because he is actually injury prone, those cramps in the current series are an indication of that, soon he'll get injured

[jagatk]

leave scoring runs to one side, I think Rahul can't even stay fit for 1 year straight playing all formats, he'll get injured again soon, and it won't be a surprise because he is actually injury prone, those cramps in the current series are an indication of that, soon he'll get injured

Now now my friend don't squirm out of the question i asked answer it or should i repeat it again, if 23 odis are enough to call someone worldclass aren't by the same logic 6 tests enough to call the same person rubbish if you disagree please tell us why,and now on to the injuries, firstly injuries have nothing to do with runs or how good a batsman is, yes rahul has injury issues and i have said so in my earlier post regarding this comparison between players but that doesn't stop or count against what he has achieved. Starc jus got injured of nth time doesn't stop him from still being a feared bowler same with rahul.

[Citizen4]

Now now my friend don't squirm out of the question i asked answer it or should i repeat it again, if 23 odis are enough to call someone worldclass aren't by the same logic 6 tests enough to call the same person rubbish if you disagree please tell us why,and now on to the injuries, firstly injuries have nothing to do with runs or how good a batsman is, yes rahul has injury issues and i have said so in my earlier post regarding this comparison between players but that doesn't stop or count against what he has achieved. Starc jus got injured of nth time doesn't stop him from still being a feared bowler same with rahul.

Rahul has done nothing extraordinary in tests, he was avaeraging 12 in the 2nd innings before the last match he have not broken any records like Babar have achieved in ODI

If someone is injury prone how can he achive greatness, don't bring Starc in the conversation he is a tall well built fast bowler that requires a lot of energy to bowl.

Rahul is already injury prone at the beginning of his career, those cramps don't lie, he'll get injured and no one will be surprised

his inconsistency is out of this world

Those belter pitches in England ODIs couldn't help Rahul to get going, he failed miserably in that series