Top 5 youngest Test captains in Indian cricket history ft. Shubman Gill
Star batter Shubman Gill has been announced as India's new Test captain for the upcoming five-match series against England in June. India is set to tour England right after the end of the ongoing IPL 2025 season.
As the squad for the England tour has been announced, Shubman Gill has been given the responsibility of leading the side, with Rohit Sharma having announced his Test retirement recently.
With Virat Kohli announcing his Test retirement as well, Shubman Gill was among the frontrunners to take up the reins next. Given the workload management of pacer Jasprit Bumrah, Gill has rightfully been appointed as India's new Test captain.
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said the following about Gill's appointment as new captain in a press conference:
“We discussed every option that’s there, over the last year or so, we’ve looked at Shubman at various times. Taken a lot of feedback from the dressing room. Very young, but there’s been improvement. We’re hopeful he’s the guy. He’s a terrific player, our best wishes to him. You don’t pick captains for one tour or two tours. We’ve seen some progress over the last year or two with him. No doubt it’s going to be as tough as it gets."
Shubman Gill will be the fifth youngest player to captain India in Test cricket. On that note, let us take a look at the top five youngest Test captains in Indian cricket history.
#5 Shubman Gill
As mentioned above, Shubman Gill will become the fifth-youngest player to captain India in Test cricket. When the first Test against England begins on June 20, Gill will be 25 years and 285 days old. He is also India's 37th Test captain overall.
Shubman Gill made his Test debut against Australia in Melbourne in 2020. The right-hander has played only 32 Tests so far in his career. He has scored 1893 runs at an average of 35.05 with five hundreds and seven half-centuries to his name. It will be interesting to see how Shubman Gill's game goes on after being appointed captain.
#4 Ravi Shastri
Former Indian cricketer, 1983 World Cup winner, and head coach Ravi Shastri is the fourth-youngest Indian to captain the Test team. Shastri was 25 years and 229 days old when he led the Test team for the first time. He led the team only on one occasion, in the third Test against the West Indies in 1988.
Shastri made his Test debut against New Zealand at Wellington in 1981 and played his last Test against South Africa in 1992. He played 80 matches and scored 3,830 runs at an average of 35.79 with 11 hundreds and 12 fifties. He also picked up 151 wickets with the ball.
#3 Kapil Dev
1983 World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev is the third-youngest to have led the Indian Test team. Kapil was 24 years and 48 days old when he first led the Test side. He led India in 34 Tests, managing to win only four, facing seven defeats and 22 draws.
Kapil Dev made his Test debut in 1978 against Pakistan. The all-rounder went on to play 131 matches, scoring 5,248 runs at an average of 31.05 with eight tons and 27 fifties. He also picked up 434 wickets at an average of 29.64, 17 four-wicket and 23 five-wicket hauls. Kapil remains among the greatest all-rounders in Indian cricket history.
#2 Sachin Tendulkar
Among the greatest batters the game of cricket has seen across the globe, Sachin Tendulkar also led the Indian Test team, being the second-youngest to do so. He was 23 years and 169 days old when he captained the Test team for the first time.
Tendulkar led India in 25 Tests from 1996 to 2000. He managed to win four games, facing nine defeats and 12 draws. However, he had a glorious career as a batter, amassing 15,921 runs from 200 Tests at an average of 53.78 with 51 hundreds and 68 half-centuries.
#1 Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi
At 21 years and 77 days of age, the legendary Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi became India's youngest-ever Test captain and remains so to date. He led the side in 40 Tests from 1962 to 1975, winning nine, losing 19, and managing 12 draws during his period as Test captain.
Making his Test debut in 1961 against England, Pataudi played 46 Tests for India. He notched up 2,793 runs at an average of 34.91 and scored six hundreds along with 16 half-centuries to his name.