Manchester, July 5 — Vaibhav Sooryavanshi made history at Old Trafford by becoming the youngest cricketer to represent India, debuting at just 15 years and 99 days old.
The teenager’s record‑breaking appearance against England overtook Shafali Verma and even Sachin Tendulkar on the list of India’s youngest international debutants.
While Sooryavanshi set the youth benchmark, the opposite extreme belongs to Rustomji Jamshedji, who debuted for India at 41 years and 27 days old.
Jamshedji’s lone Test came against England at the Bombay Gymkhana in December 1933, making him the oldest cricketer to earn an international cap for India.
Born in Bombay in 1892, Jamshedji began his first‑class career in the 1909‑10 season, more than two decades before India attained Test status. His only Test appearance was in the opening match of England’s 1933‑34 tour of India, where he scored five runs and claimed three wickets, dismissing Bryan Valentine, Cyril Walters and captain Douglas Jardine.
An Indian Cricket Record Dating Back to 1933
India had become a Test‑playing nation only a year earlier, debuting at Lord’s in 1932. The 1933‑34 England tour featured the first Test ever played on Indian soil at the Bombay Gymkhana, and Jamshedji was part of that historic side.
Rustomji Jamshedji’s First‑Class Achievements
Although his international career was limited to a single Test, Jamshedji enjoyed a distinguished first‑class record, taking 134 wickets in 29 matches at an average of 22.12, including ten five‑wicket hauls and three ten‑wicket match hauls.
He shone for the Parsis in the Bombay Quadrangular, notably claiming 11 for 122 in the 1922‑23 final and 10 for 104 in the 1928‑29 final.
Other Notable Late Debutants
Several players debuted after the age of 30 during India’s early Test years, when pathways to international cricket differed markedly from today’s structured systems.
Oldest Indian Debutants
| Player | Age at Debut | Opponent | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rustomji Jamshedji | 41 years, 27 days | England | 1933 |
| CK Nayudu | 37 years, 264 days | England | 1932 |
| SN Banerjee | 37 years, 124 days | West Indies | 1949 |
| Amir Elahi | 36 years, 201 days | Australia | 1947 |
| Jenni Irani | 36 years, 118 days | Australia | 1947 |
| DB Deodhar | 35 years, 344 days | England | 1932 |
| Lall Singh | 32 years, 104 days | England | 1932 |
| Joginder Singh | 32 years, 83 days | England | 1932 |
| Ghulam Ahmed | 30 years, 312 days | West Indies | 1948 |
| Gul Mohammad | 30 years, 182 days | England | 1946 |
The contrast between Sooryavanshi’s debut at 15 and Jamshedji’s at 41 underscores how dramatically Indian cricket has evolved—from a fledgling Test side in the 1930s to today’s T20‑driven, IPL‑infused landscape.
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