Virat Kohli vs Rahul Dravid

[Majestic]

Kohli due to his sheer presence on cricket field.

 

[howitzer]

Career wise still dravid. Kohli will overtake him for me if he has a good couple more of years of run scoring.

Pretty much exactly where I am with this.

 

[subshakerz]

Dravid did a really good job in the 07-08 australia tour partly as opener even though the numbers for that series don't look amazing. Absolutely vital runs at Perth in that historic win. Similar story in the 01 series in SA, his 80 odd to save a game was as good as a big ton.

Kohli in England/NZ quite clearly worse considering context imo and because the 2014 series plumbed unprecedented depths.

This is a bit of a whitewashing of Dravid's failures. You can give all the excuses you want but 2 tons in 27 games in Australia/SA are quite poor returns for a player of Dravid calibre. Flopped against McWarne too there.

Dravid clearly struggled with bounce, Kohli somewhat with lateral movement. However, one big point in favor of Dravid is his big daddy tons away from home. So it is close.

I go with Kohli anyways because he is more attacking, on the expectation that he keeps this form up for another year and gets that average over 50.

 

[OverratedSanity]

This is a bit of a whitewashing of Dravid's failures. You can give all the excuses you want but 2 tons in 27 games in Australia/SA are quite poor returns for a player of Dravid calibre. Flopped against McWarne too there.

Dravid clearly struggled with bounce, Kohli somewhat with lateral movement. However, one big point in favor of Dravid is his big daddy tons away from home. So it is close.

I go with Kohli anyways because he is more attacking, on the expectation that he keeps this form up for another year and gets that average over 50.

Who made excuses? Im the one who pointed out first that he was weak in those condition. Not as bad as kohli in England/nz is all I'm arguing because kohli often looked like a tailender. Dravid had more useful runs when in bad form.

You argue points very poorly these days.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Dravid was like a significantly better version of Inzamam/Root.

Kohli is a worse version of Lara/Viv.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Dravid did a really good job in the 07-08 australia tour partly as opener even though the numbers for that series don't look amazing. Absolutely vital runs at Perth in that historic win. Similar story in the 01 series in SA, his 80 odd to save a game was as good as a big ton.

Kohli in England/NZ quite clearly worse considering context imo and because the 2014 series plumbed unprecedented depths.

Fair point. Although, he got greater heights in lateral movement, than Dravid on bouncing decks, he also plumbed greater depths in Eng 2014. Nearly equal, but I’ll admit I’m biased towards Kohli. Kohli should raise average to 40+ in Eng/NZ. Then he’ll be clearly ahead of Dravid

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Kohli has had to bat on some ridiculous pitches home and away , more so than Dravid in the 2000's , for that reason I have to give it to Kohli

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

 

[subshakerz]

Fair point. Although, he got greater heights in lateral movement, than Dravid on bouncing decks, he also plumbed greater depths in Eng 2014. Nearly equal, but I’ll admit I’m biased towards Kohli. Kohli should raise average to 40+ in Eng/NZ. Then he’ll be clearly ahead of Dravid

Yeah I think this is fair. Kohli needs good series in NZ and Eng next time to make his case clearer.

 

[OverratedSanity]

View attachment 38640

Kohli been shite for most of this period (apart from the 2018 season) tbh. Not very persuasive.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Kohli been ****e for most of this period (apart from the 2018 season) tbh. Not very persuasive.

True, I'm just highlighting it for his whole career outlook , he's had to weather a very tough period in Indian batting I think the toughest of all time for India, Ashwin and Jadeja have profited immensely but it has come at a sacrifice of a few Indian batsmen, I think the last 5 year period brought about the end of perfectly capable Test batsmen who lost a bit of a confidence such as Rahane , Pujara, Dhawan, Vijay even Rahul I feel is better than his Test average suggests ..
It would have been very easy for Kohli to just pack it in when the going got very tough to pursue other projects, to stick it out and still have a chance to average 50 in Test cricket speaks a lot to his determination.

 

[honestbharani]

You argue points very poorly these days.

these days

 

[honestbharani]

View attachment 38640

That is so specific. Should do by eras IMO.

 

[HouHsiaoHsien]

Kohli been ****e for most of this period (apart from the 2018 season) tbh. Not very persuasive.

He had a pretty good 2019 as well. But I understand what you’re saying

 

[Coronis]

True, I'm just highlighting it for his whole career outlook , he's had to weather a very tough period in Indian batting I think the toughest of all time for India, Ashwin and Jadeja have profited immensely but it has come at a sacrifice of a few Indian batsmen, I think the last 5 year period brought about the end of perfectly capable Test batsmen who lost a bit of a confidence such as Rahane , Pujara, Dhawan, Vijay even Rahul I feel is better than his Test average suggests ..
It would have been very easy for Kohli to just pack it in when the going got very tough to pursue other projects, to stick it out and still have a chance to average 50 in Test cricket speaks a lot to his determination.

Just propose already.

 

[BazBall21]

Dravid did a really good job in the 07-08 australia tour partly as opener even though the numbers for that series don't look amazing. Absolutely vital runs at Perth in that historic win. Similar story in the 01 series in SA, his 80 odd to save a game was as good as a big ton.

Kohli in England/NZ quite clearly worse considering context imo and because the 2014 series plumbed unprecedented depths.

The NZ tour of 2020 was on absolute landmines. Dravid is obviously better in those conditions, but I wouldn't hold Kohli's record in NZ against him too much.

England 2014 was truly dreadful though.

 

[OverratedSanity]

The NZ tour of 2020 was on absolute landmines. Dravid is obviously better in those conditions, but I wouldn't hold Kohli's record in NZ against him too much.

I dont disagree that it was tough conditions. But not half as tough as the crazy 2002 series imo. Dravid somehow averaged mid 30s on those decks, Kohli got 30 odd runs total in his series. Think people are massively understating the gap between the two in those types of swinging/seaming conditions. Dravid is one of the top 2-3 batsmen I'd trust to get a score on a surface like that.

 

[BazBall21]

I dont disagree that it was tough conditions. But not half as tough as the crazy 2002 series imo. Dravid somehow averaged mid 30s on those decks, Kohli got 30 odd runs total in his series. Think people are massively understating the gap between the two in those types of swinging/seaming conditions. Dravid is one of the top 2-3 batsmen I'd trust to get a score on a surface like that.

Sabina Park 2006 is up there with Basin Reserve 2002. England 2011 was his magnum opus series against lateral movement. There were other classics too. He played mostly in a batsman-friendly era, but got to take into account that he takes a hit from very long career tax like Ricky. Big drop-off after his 10th year.

Dravid definitely the better player of lateral movement, and I would also take him over Kohli on a rank turner despite not being among the very best on them. Would take Kohli on a flatter Asian wicket. Slightly better bet to go big, and obviously much better on fast bouncy tracks. Not just fundamentally too, Dravid could get tied down by deep bowling attacks because of his tempo.

 

[Kenneth Viljoen]

Just propose already.

Already happily married

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Sabina Park 2006 is up there with Basin Reserve 2002. England 2011 was his magnum opus series against lateral movement. There were other classics too. He played mostly in a batsman-friendly era, but got to take into account that he takes a hit from very long career tax like Ricky. Big drop-off after his 10th year.

Dravid definitely the better player of lateral movement, and I would also take him over Kohli on a rank turner despite not being among the very best on them. Would take Kohli on a flatter Asian wicket. Slightly better bet to go big, and obviously much better on fast bouncy tracks. Not just fundamentally too, Dravid could get tied down by deep bowling attacks because of his tempo.

Kohli v Ponting might be a better comparison. Pretty similar players