Jacques Kallis v Rahul Dravid

[Craig]

Well who do you rate as better?

I would tend to go for Dravid in that he seems to be bat more for the team then Kallis who seems to take his own time when batting and doesn't look to really dominate or go after a bowling attack (I suppose how Ponting would) and surprisingly doesn't have a Test 200 (I don't know how significant that is but it is something he would want to get before his career is over) but is so consistent. But having said that can be a good things as in Melbourne 97/98 where he batted for so long to save the Test there.

Dravid would get the nod on captaincy (Kallis has seemed like the captaincy type) but I think are just as good catchers of the ball but Dravid has been able to keep wicket in ODIs so it must count for something.

 

[adharcric]

Dravid

 

[Dravid]

Dravid. More consistent, better technique, mentally fitter

 

[TT Boy]

Well who do you rate as better?

I would tend to go for Dravid in that he seems to be bat more for the team then Kallis who seems to take his own time when batting and doesn't look to really dominate or go after a bowling attack (I suppose how Ponting would) and surprisingly doesn't have a Test 200 (I don't know how significant that is but it is something he would want to get before his career is over) but is so consistent. But having said that can be a good things as in Melbourne 97/98 where he batted for so long to save the Test there.

Dravid would get the nod on captaincy (Kallis has seemed like the captaincy type) but I think are just as good catchers of the ball but Dravid has been able to keep wicket in ODIs so it must count for something.

Whilst Dravid is famed for doing as such?

Personally I go for Kallis, Dravid is type of guy who I would elect to bat for my life but Kallis is actually a very attractive cricketer on the eye, don't know many cricketers who cover drive better than him. And I don't know many blokes who average over 50 and can still bowl at 140kph.

 

[aussie]

As a batsman Dravid, overall Kallis

 

[The Sean]

Dravid for me. There's just something about Kallis that I don't think he's as good a cricketer as his numbers would indicate. Not to say he's not very, very good - but his stats put him among the greats of all time, and I personally don't rate him that high. I personally think Dravid is a superb cricketer - his ability to step up and score runs against the very best attacks, under all conditions, when it matters most, puts him on a very high plane for me.

 

[oz_fan]

Both are very consistent batsmen but I'd go for Dravid over Kallis as a batsmen for the reasons that Sean mentioned. When you take Kallis' bowling into account I'd go with him over Dravid.

 

[PrincePeiterson]

It's too hard to pick. Dravid is the better pure batter, but Kallis brings another dimension to the bowling. I honestly couldn't pick one or the other as the better player. They're both super.

 

[Slifer]

Dravid defintately the better bat. But overall Kallis the better player.

 

[Beleg]

Dravid is one of the best batsmen of all-time.


Kallis isn't too far behind.

 

[silentstriker]

Dravid as a batsman, Kallis overall.

 

[Jono]

Clearly Kallis overall is the better player considering his allround skills, but if we're talking about solely as batsman then its very close.

They're always mentioned in the same breath when mentioning who has the best defensive technique in the game. Whilst they're both very similar, I think purely on the eye Dravid looks like he labours at the crease more, and is really battling for his runs, whereas whilst Kallis generally goes at a similar pace (their test batting numbers are eerily similar, almost identical) he looks more that he's just hanging around rather than struggling. That's purely a visual perspective though, describing the style in which they bat though.

I think history will look on to Dravid as the better batsman. Most contemporaries generally mention Dravid before Kallis when talking about the best batsman of the modern era, even though Kallis' numbers are very comparable. Something about when he's got the runs I guess.

Both champion batsman though.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Kallis for me. His added abilities with the ball clinch it for me.

 

[Jono]

Yeah, and while he's not quite the bowler he was a few years ago, when he's on song he's still quite destructive. Showing it today, and ironically he dismissed Dravid with a beaut.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Well JK just got Rahul out.

I don't see the opposite happening, ever.

 

[TT Boy]

Yeah, and while he's not quite the bowler he was a few years ago, when he's on song he's still quite destructive. Showing it today, and ironically he dismissed Dravid with a beaut.

I thought Kallis only bowls and gets wicket against Zimbabwe, isn't that right Marc, Scaly?

 

[silentstriker]

Well JK just got Rahul out.

I don't see the opposite happening, ever.

You don't say?

 

[Anil]

Well JK just got Rahul out.

I don't see the opposite happening, ever.

well you never know...sunny's only wicket was zaheer abbas or something, wasn't it?

 

[Ikki]

As batsmen they're pretty close but when you take the all-rounder aspect it's quite easily Jaques for mine.

 

[silentstriker]

Dunno about the batting being close though (all round its Kallis obviously). They have a similar style certainly. Dravid has something like five double centuries, not sure if Kallis has any.