Stuart Binny becomes 4th oldest cricketer to make Test debut for India
With his Test debut against England at Trent Bridge, Stuart Binny has become the 281st cricketer to represent India in Test cricket.
Early years
Despite being born to a former Indian cricketer, his journey till now has by no means been smooth. He has had to overcome a lot of difficulties in his cricketing career so far, and the fact that he has done so is a credit to him.
He lost his way in 2007 when he signed up for the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). While his performances in the ICL were good, his time there meant that he was not eligible to play for the national team.
After quitting the ICL in 2009, he came back into the fold and started playing for his state, Karnataka, in the Ranji Trophy. He slowly started establishing himself in the Karnataka side with strong performances with both bat and ball.
He also got his 1st substantial opportunity in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the Rajasthan Royals in 2013 and became a key component of the franchise through his consistent performances. His years of hard work finally paid off when he was called up into the ODI squad for the tour of New Zealand in February 2014.
?4th oldest cricketer to make Test debut for India
His father, Roger Binny, also played Test cricket for India and was the 148th player to do so. With Stuart’s debut, they have become one of the few father/son combinations to have played Test cricket for India.
The Karnataka all-rounder’s Test debut has come at the age of 30, very late by Indian standards. In India, if you don’t make your debut by the age of 27-28 at most, you’re said to have missed the bus. Giving credence to that theory is the fact that the 30-year old has become the 4th oldest cricketer to make his Test debut for India.
Here is the list of the ten oldest Indian cricketers to make their Test debut:
| Player | Age | Opposition | Start Date |
| Robin Singh | 35y 23d | v Zimbabwe | 7 October, 1998 |
| Saba Karim | 32y 362d | v Bangladesh | 10 November, 2000 |
| Sameer Dighe | 32y 161d | v Australia | 18 March, 2001 |
| Stuart Binny | 30y 36d | v England | 9 July, 2014 |
| Subramaniam Badrinath | 29y 160d | v South Africa | 6 February, 2010 |
| Sanjay Bangar | 29y 53d | v England | 3 December, 2001 |
| Robin Singh | 29y 1d | v New Zealand | 2 January, 1999 |
| Romesh Powar | 28y 363d | v Bangladesh | 18 May, 2007 |
| Abey Kuruvilla | 28y 210d | v West Indies | 6 March, 1997 |
| Sairaj Bahutule | 28y 71d | v Australia | 18 March, 2001 |