Indian batsmen who made their Test debut as teenagers

Showing consistency at various and his stroke-play helped Prithvi Shaw seal a spot in the Indian Test squad before his 19th birthday. However, Shaw isn’t guaranteed to make debut in the final two Test matches but could well be in the mix for the next 12 months. He has a good chance of making his debut as early by this October when Windies tour India for a 2-match Test series. This series could be used as a warm-up with the Australian tour scheduled for later this year. Here we look at the list of batsmen who made their debut for India before turning 20 in Test cricket and the impact they created. 6. Apoorva Sengupta: Apoorva Sengupta. (Photo Source) Apoorva Sengupta’s Test debut in 1959 was rather interesting as he had featured in only four first-class matches. He scored an unbeaten 100 on FC debut for Services against the West Indians but didn’t manage even a 40 in the next three matches where he opened the innings. However, Sengupta bagged a 6-wicket haul against Delhi in his 3rd game. Coming into the 4th Test of the home series against the West Indies, India were missing the services of Ghulam Ahmed and Vijay Manjrekar. Ghulam announced his retirement under controversial circumstances while Manjrekar opted out of the game. Thus, Sengupta was drafted in for Manjrekar and was granted a debut at the age of 19 years and 171 days. The UP-born player scored 1 and 8 respectively in what turned out to be his last game as well. 5. Mohammad Kaif: Former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif. (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/Getty Images) Mohammad Kaif had a solid start to his first-class career averaging in the 40s. On the 1999 tour of West Indies with India A, Kaif scored 196 runs in seven innings at an average of 39.2 with two fifties. He was selected to play for the Board President’s XI against touring South Africans. Kaif scored only 23 and 33 respectively in that game but was the longest saviour against the Proteas bowlers among his teammates. Kaif made his Test debut at the age of 19 years and 92 days in the Bangalore Test against South Africa as he was included in place of VVS Laxman. Kaif’s Test career was a start-stop one as he featured in only 13 Test matches across seven years. He scored only one century during his Test career which came in his final Test series in West Indies where he scored an unbeaten 148. 4. Syed Mushtaq Ali: Back row (left-right): Baqa Jilani, Lala Armanath, Syed Mohammad Hussain, Mushtaq Ali, Cotar Ramaswami, Khershed Meherhomji. Seated: Phiroze Edulji Palia, Cottari Kanakaiya Nayudu, Maharaj Kumar of Vizianagram, Mohammad Nissar, Vijay Merchant. (Photo by Popperfoto/Getty Images) Syed Mushtaq Ali was one of the few players to have made an impact in the longer format coming into the team at a young age. Mushtaq Ali was only 19 years and 19 days old when he played the Kolkata Test match against England, which was a part of India’s first ever home Test series. He had a decent start to his FC career with 317 runs in 12 innings at an average of 26.42 with two fifties. Mushtaq Ali became the first Indian to score a Test century outside India during the 1936 England tour. He was a part of India’s maiden Test win in 1952 against England in Madras which happen to be the last of his 11-match Test career. Mushtaq Ali’s career came to an end unconvincingly but had scored two tons and three fifties in the 11 appearances by then. 3. AG Milkha Singh: A. G. Milkha Singh. (Photo Source: Twitter) AG Milkha Singh came into the fray as a dashing batsman and a fine fielder and made his debut for the Tamil Nadu team at the age of 17. Milkha was soon playing in the whites for India as he got his Test cap at the age of 18 years and 13 days in a Test match against Australia in January 1960 at his home ground. He was made to wait one year for his next appearance. Milkha returned to the team on the back of a stellar tour of Pakistan in 1960 with Indian Starlets. He struck three centuries in seven innings and scored 469 runs at an average of 117.25. However, his Test career lasted only four matches in which he scored 92 runs in four Test matches at an average of 15.33. Even his last Test appearance was before his 20th birthday. 2. Vijay Mehra: Vijay Mehra. (Photo Source: TOI) Vijay Mehra made his Test debut at the age of 17 years and 265 days in 1995 against New Zealand to become the youngest Test cricketer for India of that time. He endured as India’s youngest Test debutant till the 1980s. Mehra was only five first-class matches old when he arrived in the Test circuit. In his debut FC season, Vijay amassed 230 runs in four matches at an average of 57.5. However, the Punjab-born player failed to make a big impact for India in International cricket as he scored only 329 runs with two fifties at a humble average of 25.3. He featured in only eight matches during his Test career that spanned between 1955 and 1964. 1. Sachin Tendulkar: Sachin Tendulkar awaits the umpire’s decision, Cricket World Cup 1995-96, India v Sri Lanka at Calcutta (Semi-final). (Photo by Patrick Eagar/Patrick Eagar Collection via Getty Images) Sachin Tendulkar not only turned out to be the most successful youngster in the history of the game but was also the greatest batsman of all time in the Test cricket and eventually in ODI cricket as well. In his teens, Sachin started to attract the eyeballs of many former players and International cricketers of the 1980s who had their roots in Mumbai. He had a glorious start to his FC career scoring 725 runs in eight matches at an average of 75 and also struck centuries on Ranji Trophy and Irani Trophy debuts. He went on to make his Test debut in 1989 against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 205 days. Sachin remains the youngest Indian Test cricketer till date and the only one to appear in a Test match for India before turning 17. For all the latest cricket news and other updates follow CricTracker.

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Indian batsmen who made their Test debut as teenagers

Here we look at a list of batsmen who made their debut for India before turning 20 in Test cricket and the impact they created.

2. Vijay Mehra:

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