Jacques Kallis vs Rahul Dravid vs Kumar Sangakkara

[centurymaker]

Holy **** this is the stupidest thing I've heard from you yet. India were 80-4 responding to a 550+ Australia score and Dravid and VVS brought India back from the brink. Sanga's 192 was a futile hit and giggle session in a lost cause, and yet that's the more crucial situation?

Get the **** out lmao. Just stop talking cricket ffs.

100% agree!

 

[Bitmap]

Sanga > Kallis > Dravid

 

[Red_Ink_Squid]

But take heart, you can still hate on the man. Just say he stiffed your kid when asking for an autograph. It works for the rest of CW, it seems.

I think he shoved over @Himannv's kid and stamped on them when asked for an autograph.

 

[Bolo.]

If you inversed Sanga's career, he would not be a better player, but half of CW would think he was a god.

 

[subshakerz]

If you inversed Sanga's career, he would not be a better player, but half of CW would think he was a god.

He basically would be Steve Smith.

 

[shortpitched713]

If you inversed Sanga's career, he would not be a better player, but half of CW would think he was a god.

Yes, but what is the reasoning in your mind for that?

If you're just talking about his batting career, then definitely inversing it would elevate him stupendously. Because it would mean the best batting performances of his career would be when he was a wicket-keeper, and it would be a record for a wicket-keeper batsman that would put Gilchrist in the dirt, as the greatest of all time. Then when he drops the gloves and his batting declines, we would say he's just past his prime and best, and would hardly hold it against him.

As it is, I already, very highly rate Sanga, even above the other two batsmen in this comparison. Honestly think he improved tremendously as a batsman throughout his career, and not too much of it due to dropping the gloves. That decision was clearly made for longevity to save the knees, and not performance, as he kept the gloves on in ODI's and improved quite a bit in that format as well.

His batting record without the gloves is exemplary, among the greatest barring Bradman when isolated on it's own, but no one gives him the benefit of the doubt on that side because it makes their favorite batsmen who were his contemporaries look bad. So I already have him as one of the absolute best of that era.

 

[Arachnodouche]

For all his fake accent he still says "wicket" like Ranjith Fernando. The mask slips, poser.

 

[honestbharani]

I am now sure @Himannv has taken over Arachnodouche's account.

 

[Flem274*]

I don't have a horse in this race because I struggle to split these guys, but seeing all the typical CW "he secretly sucks" stuff is eye roll material.

 

[BazBall21]

I think Sanga is marginally better than Dravid overall but he doesn't really have a better overseas record especially when you consider how little he even played outside Asia.

Yeah. Dravid had to play a higher percentage of his Tests outside Asia and averages a healthy margin more than Sanga in that territory. But I struggle to ignore Dravid’s persistent Aus/SA struggles, Sanga better against high pace and more big hundreds.

 

[subshakerz]

Yeah. Dravid had to play a higher percentage of his Tests outside Asia and averages a healthy margin more than Sanga in that territory. But I struggle to ignore Dravid’s persistent Aus/SA struggles, Sanga better against high pace and more big hundreds.

Out of the three.

Dravid best against seam bowling.

Against pure pace, edge to Sanga over Kallis.

Sanga best against spin.

 

[Coronis]

Yeah. Dravid had to play a higher percentage of his Tests outside Asia and averages a healthy margin more than Sanga in that territory. But I struggle to ignore Dravid’s persistent Aus/SA struggles, Sanga better against high pace and more big hundreds.

Piggybacking on this a lil, Yousuf averaged 44 in SENAW to Younis’ 39. Maybe we all underrate him

 

[subshakerz]

Piggybacking on this a lil, Yousuf averaged 44 in SENAW to Younis’ 39. Maybe we all underrate him

These raw averages are misleading. Yousuf didnt do well in Australia while Younis did. They both sucked in SA, Yousuf only moreso.

 

[Gob]

What? Sanga actually had the Aussies worrying there and was playing some of the best strokeplay I have seen by a foreign bat in Australia. If it wasn't for that inane decision, who knows how close he could have taken it, he didn't look like getting out.

Fair enough, Dravid had match pressure, I will grant you that, but it was objectively easier to bat on Adelaide Day 3 against an weaker attack.

Nah that game in Hobart was done and dusted

 

[Gob]

Sanga's 192 is similar to VVS 167 at Sydney. Glorious batting exhibition in a match that was never close. If you want to rate those innings highly on the basis of batting skill, sure. Dravid/Kallis are not capable of that kind of sustained attacking strokeplay. But you brought up match sitiuation and dismissed the Dravid double ton* that brought India back from a dire situation as "flat pancake, meh". Unbelievably asinine. It is a far more meaningful performance than anything Sangakkara did. You can debate the quality, but not the importance.

*Note: He also followed it up with an unbeaten 70 in the 4th innings to win the match by 4 wickets btw.

I think Dravid would have played that innings at the time on that pitch even if McGrath and Warne were there. He was very very good in that phase

 

[Gob]

On side note, Brett Lee was fantastic from 05 to 07

 

[Calm_profit]

Piggybacking on this a lil, Yousuf averaged 44 in SENAW to Younis’ 39. Maybe we all underrate him

Younis record in Windies might have got that average but there are reasons that I will back for that,In his overall career Pakistan toured Windies 4 times, on his first tour he was facing Ambrose and Walsh, he did well on his second tour, on third tour he missed it due to his brother's death, on the last one it was his farewell series. I think if he had played 2011 tour(which was at his prime) then his average would have been good in Windies.

 

[Fuller Pilch]

Sanga's overall record vs Australia and vs England is hardly impressive.

11 Tests averaging 43 vs Australia (1 100)
22 Tests averaging 40 vs England (3 100s)


Don't want to highlight this but his average is insane vs minnows and Pakistan.

23 Tests averaging 74 vs Pakistan (10 100s)
15 Tests averaging 95 vs Bangladesh (7 100s)


Sri Lanka played significantly higher number of tests against weaker/easier nations (and considerably fewer tests vs Aus etc). This really helped elevate the records of Sri Lankan players. People never seem to take this into account. Personally, I don't rate records against Pakistan highly, given the nature of pitches they produce at home. Then there's similar pitches in lanka, so I'm not surprised that 30% of his 100s are against Pak alone. And almost 50% of his hundreds are against Pak and Bangladesh.

I wondered what had happened to Himmanv.

 

[subshakerz]

I think Dravid would have played that innings at the time on that pitch even if McGrath and Warne were there. He was very very good in that phase

Possible but then he failed against them in India the next year.

 

[Gob]

Possible but then he failed against them in India the next year.

Lot can happen in a year