IND vs SL, 2nd Test, Day 1: India’s left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav missed out on the playing XI against Sri Lanka in the second and final Test at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
The tourists have included off-spinner Saransh Jain, who has made his debut at the age of 33. With Saransh becoming the oldest Test debutant for India since Robin Singh in 1998, it’s worth looking at the oldest debutants for the country in the 21st century.
IND vs SL, 2nd Test, Day 1: Who are India’s 5 oldest Test debutants in the 21st century?
5) Saransh Jain
At 33 years and 145 days, Saransh is the oldest Test debutant for India in the 21st century. The veteran had been picked for the tour from relative obscurity. he 33-year-old has picked up 188 scalps in 54 first-class games, averaging 27.30 alongside 10 four-wicket hauls and as many fifers. He also averages a serviceable 31.75 with the bat with two centuries. Hence, it will be interesting to see how he performs with the ball when his opportunity comes.
4) Saba Karim
Former Indian chief selector Saba Karim made his Test debut against Bangladesh in 2000 at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka aged 32 years and 362 days. Karim, a keeper-batter, made 15 and affected a solitary dismissal as it proved to be the only Test he featured in.
3) Sameer Dighe
Sameer Dighe is yet another Indian keeper-batter and made his first Test appearance during the famous 2001 series against Australia at home aged 32 years and 161 days. Dighe made only four in the first innings but scored an unbeaten 22 in the nail-biting run-chase of 155 in Chennai as India eventually won by eight wickets. However, the Mumbai-born cricketer ended up playing only five more Tests since debuting.
2) Suryakumar Yadav
Suryakumar Yadav had already established himself as a T20I powerhouse by the time he played his first Test. It was at 32 years and 148 days that the right-handed batter earned his maiden Test cap during the first Test between India and Australia in Nagpur in 2023. In the only innings that the hosts batted, Nathan Lyon cleaned up the Mumbai-born cricketer for 8 and there was never another Test for him.
1) Naman Ojha
Naman Ojha remains India’s youngest Test debutant of the 21st century, making his maiden red-ball appearance at 32 years and 39 days. Ojha proved to be another one-Test wonder, earning his cap during the third Test of the Sri Lanka tour in 2015. He made 21 and 35 with the bat but affected multiple dismissals behind the stumps.