Geoffrey Boycott vs Virat Kohli

[sayon basak]

@sayon basak

Virat Kohli – 47.83
Geoffrey Boycott – 47.73

you can make it, Boyc was averaging 52 until he was like 37-38, Kohli is down to 47 at 36

That being said, who is the better batsman now?

 

[sledger]

Right now, I don't much fancy Boycott's chances of playing international cricket.

 

[Johan]

Probably Boyc now, opener, on top against dukes in England and they average about the same but Boyc was averaging like 49.4 when he was 40 year old

 

[BazBall21]

Geoffrey Boycott.

 

[trundler]

Somebody should do Kohli v Amla v Harvey.

 

[PlayerComparisons]

Geoffrey Kohli

 

[sayon basak]

Geoffrey Kohli

#boycottkohli

 

[DrWolverine]

Boycott

 

[BazBall21]

Kohli had the more iconic peak, but I'm finding how bad he has been for 5 years (and it's not as though he's been super old) increasingly hard to look past against players like Boycott and Harvey.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Kohli had the more iconic peak, but I'm finding how bad he has been for 5 years (and it's not as though he's been super old) increasingly hard to look past against players like Boycott and Harvey.

More like 2-3 years really. Hardly any games were played in 2020 and he was adequately good in 2023. His worst years were 2021-22, and till now this year he has played 6 matches. Was good in the first SA one, sucked ass in the 2 vs Bangladesh and 2 vs NZ (scored runs in one). Australia will dictate if this year was poor for him or alright.

 

[BazBall21]

More like 2-3 years really. Hardly any games were played in 2020 and he was adequately good in 2023. His worst years were 2021-22, and till now this year he has played 6 matches. Was good in the first SA one, sucked ass in the 2 vs Bangladesh and 2 vs NZ (scored runs in one). Australia will dictate if this year was poor for him or alright.

I don't think he was necessarily different in 2023 than the other years though. He went very big on a road and did alright v a poor WI attack. He could have repeated those feats in the other years. Was fine in SA on the previous tour too which also came within that time frame.

He's been disappointing across a large period of time now. Has fallen apart in Asia.

 

[capt_Luffy]

I don't think he was necessarily different in 2023 than the other years though. He went very big on a road and did alright v a poor WI attack. He could have repeated those feats in the other years. Was fine in SA on the previous tour too which also came within that time frame.

He's been disappointing across a large period of time now. Has fallen apart in Asia.

I think 2023 was definitely different than the 2 previous years. Scored in WI after God knows how long, and his last SA tour was really damn fine. He couldn't had done so in the previous years. He failed against Bangladesh at home.

 

[BazBall21]

I think 2023 was definitely different than the 2 previous years. Scored in WI after God knows how long, and his last SA tour was really damn fine. He couldn't had done so in the previous years. He failed against Bangladesh at home.

He did reasonably well on the previous SA tour which came within the same timeframe. Don't think it was really a turning point. WI's attack in 2019 was a fair bit better than 2023.

 

[capt_Luffy]

He did reasonably well on the previous SA tour which came within the same timeframe. Don't think it was really a turning point. WI's attack in 2019 was a fair bit better than 2023.

Turning point or not, not sure. Can attest his 2nd innings 1st Test knock in SA was splendid beauty. But you really shouldn't lump his 2023 record with the past two years.

 

[BazBall21]

Turning point or not, not sure. Can attest his 2nd innings 1st Test knock in SA was splendid beauty. But you really shouldn't lump his 2023 record with the past two years.

I just think by and large he's been pretty disappointing for a long while now and Boycott never really had a period like that.

There's been the odd good knock and he has held up well in SA conditions which is a credit to him, but this slump is becoming difficult for me to defend. I think he's finished at home.

 

[capt_Luffy]

I just think by and large he's been pretty disappointing for a long while now and Boycott never really had a period like that.

There's been the odd good knock and he has held up well in SA conditions which is a credit to him, but this slump is becoming difficult for me to defend. I think he's finished at home.

Can get behind that. Just think his downer is really of around 3 years (given he flops in Australia) not 5.
Re Boycott and Harvey, they also never had Kohli's highs, but that's a debate for another time. Maybe once he retires finally (hopefully soon).

 

[BazBall21]

Can get behind that. Just think his downer is really of around 3 years (given he flops in Australia) not 5.
Re Boycott and Harvey, they also never had Kohli's highs, but that's a debate for another time. Maybe once he retires finally (hopefully soon).

Harvey had a very prolific peak and was renowned as a good bad wicket batsman. He also doesn't have Boycott's rigid tempo caveat, which in turn I don't think is as big an issue as Kohli's drastic decline and becoming ineffective in his home conditions. Agree that peak Kohli hit a higher level than Boycott though Boycott being an elite opener is still something most sides don't have so a bit of a point of difference.

I hope Kohli does well in Australia but it will be very tough if grassy wickets are prepared and they have become more common in Australia of late. Their attack is a bit more relentless than SA especially if Boland plays over Starc.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Harvey had a very prolific peak and was renowned as a good bad wicket batsman. He also doesn't have Boycott's rigid tempo caveat, which in turn I don't think is as big an issue as Kohli's drastic decline and becoming ineffective in his home conditions. Agree that peak Kohli hit a higher level than Boycott though Boycott being an elite opener is still something most sides don't have so a bit of a point of difference.

I hope Kohli does well in Australia but it will be very tough if grassy wickets are prepared and they have become more common in Australia of late.

Boycs is the only batsman whose tempo I hold against him, for nothing but his absolute selfishness. He was a selfish prick who batted for himself almost ways. None of Hutton, Sutcliffe, Mitchell, Barrington etc were so. It puts me off. Re Harvey, for the era he played in, his English record just doesn't cuts it for me.

 

[BazBall21]

Boycs is the only batsman whose tempo I hold against him, for nothing but his absolute selfishness. He was a selfish prick who batted for himself almost ways. None of Hutton, Sutcliffe, Mitchell, Barrington etc were so. It puts me off. Re Harvey, for the era he played in, his English record just doesn't cuts it for me.

Boycott"s rigid tempo is a problem, but I don't see it as being as big a problem as being fairly ineffective across a long period.

Harvey only had one bad series v England and that was 1956 which was proper minefields.

 

[capt_Luffy]

Boycott"s rigid tempo is a problem, but I don't see it as being as big a problem as being fairly ineffective across a long period.

Harvey only had one proper bad series v England and that was 1956 which was proper minefields.

Can see the reasoning, and I generally prefer slower scoring openers to wrung out the life of of bowlers, just not selfish pricks like Boycott. Mine is a Boycott only problem.
In Harvey's time, two touring countries were challenging. He is legit one of the Greatest ever in SA (though played relatively milder attacks), but in that Era where England were pretty much the best team, his 34 average in England is a little on the lower side for me.