While both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant are batsmen, there are differences in their game styles that are pretty noticeable on the field. While Rahul gets into position early and watches the ball till the very end before hitting it, Pant stands with his head down and tries to make contact as soon as possible after he gets into position.
These different styles can be seen while they hit the ball and run between wickets. This article will tell you about their batting performances and skills in more detail to decide who is the better batsman between KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant.
KL Rahul
According to data compiled by CricViz, KL Rahul has had a High Percentage of Eyes On the Ball (64%) in his career. By contrast, Rishabh has an Eyes On Ball percentage of 56%. Rahul’s eyes remain on the ball longer than Pant’s when they stand at the crease. With more time to judge where to hit the ball, KL Rahul hits more runs. He hits 34% more boundaries than Pant and 19% more sixes.
However, there are times when he fails to score as many runs due to awkward footwork or also getting out early. Such problems were visible during the India-Sri Lanka T20I series earlier in November 2018, when The most crucial reason why KL Rahul should be preferred over Rishabh Pant is that he has more experience than him at the international level.
He has played 28 ODIs and 10 Tests so far, with an average of 40+ in both formats of cricket.
Rishabh Pant
The Delhi Daredevils captain has taken IPL 2019 by storm. Be it with his agility behind point or smashing sixes over mid-wicket, Pant’s whirlwind performances have surprised everyone. Some feel that he may be a flop in ODIs, but it isn’t so. He played an essential role in India’s victory in New Zealand, where he scored two fifties, one each at No. 4 and 5.
However, his presence in the ODI team depends on whether MS Dhoni continues to play or not. But as far as T20 cricket is concerned, Rishabh Pant will remain there for many years to come.
Compare: KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant
KL Rahul vs. Rishabh Pant: A comparison of talent. Much has been said about both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant, who are looking to strengthen their places in India’s test team. With their recent returns in domestic cricket, we bring you a comparison of these two talented men from different backgrounds.
Rahul was born in Karnataka but moved to Mumbai early. He began playing for Mumbai U-16s at just 13 years old and made his first-class debut for Karnataka at 18 years old. He scored 12 centuries in 44 first-class matches, with an average of 55.35 runs per inning (RPI).
Pant was born in Delhi but moved to Jharkhand after his father’s death when he was only four years old. His family struggled financially, so he used to sell newspapers and milk bottles as a child to support them. He picked up cricket while living there, joining his local club before being selected for Jharkhand’s under-14 side. In 2016, Pant became India’s youngest-ever Test cricketer at 17 years 11 months old.
Also Read:
Batting Performance
KL Rahul has done much better than Rishabh Pant in almost all formats in batting performances. Although he failed miserably in the T20s, his international version has been brilliant, with two fifties (in three innings) and a strike rate above 70.
For India last year, he scored 176 runs in three games at an average of 71 and a strike rate of 76. He also played well for Kings XI Punjab in IPL 2018. On the other hand, Rishabh Pant struggled to make an impact for Delhi Daredevils in IPL 2018 despite being their captain for a few matches.
He was dropped from playing XI after that. Even though he recently performed well against the England Lions, it wasn’t enough to change his reputation as someone who struggles against quality bowling attacks on bouncy pitches.
The Future Of Both
Both KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant have excellent batting potential. However, they are young in their career. Hence, it will be interesting to see how they perform over some time. Their future in the Indian Cricket Team looks bright! It’s difficult to predict which one of them would make more contributions to India in World Cups and other International Matches.
But I believe KL Rahul has more skills than Rishabh Pant as he has been an opener for the Kings XI Punjab team for the last two years, whereas Rishabh started playing only after the IPL 2017 auction was done.
