KL Rahul vs Babar Azam: Decoding their T20I stats
India's KL Rahul and Pakistan captain Babar Azam are arguably two of the prolific batters in T20Is. Rahul has a wide repertoire of shots in his arsenal. The stylish opener is a treat to watch when in flow. On the other hand, Babar frees his arms as the innings progresses. He slammed over 900 runs in T20Is held last year.
Third-highest run-getter for India in T20Is
Rahul cherishes batting in T20Is. A 360-degree player, Rahul has the competence to become the leading run-scorer in T20Is. He has already slammed 1,831 runs in 56 matches. He averages 40.68 and has bossed this format at a noteworthy rate of 142.49. He ranks behind Rohit Sharma (3,313) and Virat Kohli (3,296) among Indian batters with the most runs in T20Is.
Joint-third-most hundreds in T20Is
Rahul owns two hundreds in T20 Internationals. Notably, he has the joint-third-most centuries by a player in this format. He shares this record with Chris Gayle, Aaron Finch, Evin Lewis, Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum, Muhammad Waseem, and Sabawoon Davizi.
Rahul has two hundreds in a run-chase
Babar has racked up 1,128 runs in 36 matches that involved a run-chase. He has scored at a modest rate of 127.45. Meanwhile, Rahul has annihilated the rivals in this regard. In 28 matches, the Karnataka batter has belted 869 runs at an eye-popping strike rate of 143.87. He averages an impressive 43.45. Interestingly, both his T20I hundreds have come in a run-chase.
Fastest to 2,000 T20I runs
On April 25, 2021, Babar struck 52 against Zimbabwe to become the fastest batter to reach 2,000 T20I runs. He attained the feat in 52 innings, bettering Kohli's tally (56). Notably, it took him only four years and 280 days to attain this milestone.
Fifth-highest run-getter in T20Is
Babar ranks fifth among the leading run-getters in T20Is. Since making his T20I debut in 2016, the talented batter has slammed 2,686 runs in 74 matches. He averages 45.52 and has pummelled 26 half-centuries and a hundred (122 vs SA). He is one of the three Pakistani batters to have clocked over 2,000 runs in this format (Mohammad Hafeez: 2,514 and Shoaib Malik: 2,435).
A look at their T20I rankings
Babar currently tops the ICC Men's T20I rankings with a rating of 818. Meanwhile, Rahul is the only Indian batter in the top 10. He is seated 10th with a rating of 646.
Stats in away conditions
In 35 away games, Babar has smacked 1,170 runs while managing a strike rate of 128.28. Meanwhile, Rahul has notched 659 runs in 21 matches. However, he has dispatched runs at a far better rate than the former (139.32).
A look at their captaincy record
On October 18, 2019, Babar replaced Sarfaraz Ahmed as the T20I captain for Pakistan. So far, he has led them in 41 T20Is that include 26 wins and 10 losses. Meanwhile, KL Rahul has been named as the captain of Team India for the upcoming five-match T20Is against SA. It would be his maiden assignment while leading the Men in Blue in this format.
