How young batsmen disappeared from the top of ICC Test rankingsย
Indian star wicket-keeper-batter Rishabh Pant is the only batsmen under the age of 26 to occupy a spot in the latest top 30 of the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings.
Pant, ranked 11th, currently has a rating of 738, just a couple of notches below his career-best of 752 rating points and a rank of 7th, achieved in mid-2021.
He has lit up the Test arena on several occasions, having so far registered four Test hundreds and gained a healthy average of 40.78. Key to his prominence is a proven ability to score big against the toughest opponents, including a hundred each in England, Australia, and South Africa.
Two near-hundreds (97 and 89*) also helped India to a second consecutive Test series win in Australia in early 2021.
The moment when birthday boy @RishabhPant17 ended Australia's unbeaten streak at the Gabba ๐
(via @cricketcomau)
https://t.co/IxZeRhs9kO
However, his status as the sole young gun amongst Test batsmen has revealed a gaping hole in the game. There is a dearth of young elites in comparison to previous eras of cricket.
Currently, Pakistan batter Abdullah Shafique, 22 years old, is the next-highest ranked young batter (No.35), with an impressive average of 68.37 after five matches
Cameron Green from Australia (ranked No. 48) rounds out the only trio of Test batters under the age of 26 ranked in the top 50.
The mid-2010s saw a consistent emergence of young batsmen across all formats and across all countries. It is characterised by the near-simultaneous birthing of the 'Fab Four' - Steve Smith, Joe Root, Virat Kohli, and Kane Williamson, who all sat in the upper echelon of rankings when under 26 years old.
Elite youth batsmen in Test cricket since 2000
June 2000
Six batters under the age of 26 were in the top 30: Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Craig McMillan, Mohammad Yousuf, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, and Sadagoppan Ramesh. Ponting topped the youthful exuberence of the sport in 2000, ranked No. 4 in the world.
June 2005
Five batters under the age of 26 were in the top 30: Virender Sehwag, Graeme Smith, Chris Gayle, Ramnaresh Sarwan, and AB de Villiers. Sehwag was the leading young batsmen in the game, ranked No. 5.
Test hundreds at a Strike Rate over 100: 
2006
2008
2009/10
Virender Sehwag scored 7โฃ Test hundreds at a Strike Rate over 100:
78 balls v ๐ด 2006
87 v ๐ฑ๐ฐ 2008
87 v ๐ฟ๐ฆ 2009/10
90 v ๐ฑ๐ฐ 2010
90 v ๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ 2012/13
93 v ๐ต๐ฐ 2005/06
97 v ๐ฑ๐ฐ 2009/10
The most by any batsman in Test Cricket
@virendersehwag #AUSvIND #INDvAUS @sachin_rt @DelhiCapitals https://t.co/WgADWtLg3l
June 2010
Three batters under the age of 26 were in the top 30: Ross Taylor, de Villiers, and Alastair Cook.
June 2015
Nine batters under the age of 26 were in the top 30: Steve Smith, Joe Root, Kane Williamson, Virat Kohli, Mominul Haque, Tamim Iqbal, Darren Bravo, Ajinkya Rahane, and Gary Ballance.
The 'Fab Four' sat in the top 10; Smith, Root, Williamson, and Kohli.
Centuries by fab four since 01 Jan 2021:
10 - Joe Root
2 - Virat Kohli + Steve Smith + Kane Williamson
@root66 in a different league๐
#ENGvNZ https://t.co/BZRd1tDLDZ
June 2020
Five batters under the age of 26 were in the top 30: Marnus Labuschagne, Babar Azam, Travis Head, Kusal Mendis, and Aiden Markram - all still big modern names, but have all since aged.
Labuschagne in particular has excelled, rising to No.1 late last year, before moving back down to No. 2 this month. Babar is currently ranked fourth.
It is difficult to say if the current predicament is the beginning of a trend, or a simple anomaly among this historical data unearthed by Wisden.
But if one were to pick the best batsmen currently under 26 who are likely to emerge stronger and reach good heights of success in the game, they would include Cameron Green, Ollie Pope, Abdullah Shafique, Shubman Gill, and Shimron Hetmyer.