India will take on Sri Lanka in the second and final Test of the series at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo on Sunday, August 23. Shubman Gill-led team currently lead the two-match series 1-0 after securing a convincing 165-run victory in the opening Test in Galle.
However, the biggest talking point of the IND vs SL 2nd Test is Saransh Jain making his debut and joining the list of the oldest players to debut for India.
Saransh Jain's India Debut Confirmed
India made a change to their spin attack for the second Test, with 33-year-old Saransh Jain finally making his long-awaited international debut.
He has spent a long time in domestic cricket waiting for his opportunity at the highest level. The Madhya Pradesh star player made his first-class debut in December 2014 and has since played 54 FC matches.
In these matches, he has picked up 188 wickets at an average of 27.30 and an economy rate of 3.01. With the bat, he has scored 2,223 runs at an average of 31.75.
Having said this, in this article, let’s take a look at the list of the oldest players to make their India debut.
Rustomji Jamshedji
Rustomji Jamshedji holds the record for being the oldest player to make his Test debut for India. He made his Test debut at the age of 41 years and 27 days against England in Bombay (now Mumbai), in December 1933.
Born on November 18, 1892, Jamshedji was a left-arm spinner and was regarded as one of the finest bowlers in the Bombay Quadrangular.
His Test career, however, was extremely short. The match against England was the only Test Jamshedji played for India.
Cotah Ramaswami
Cotah Ramaswami, born on June 16, 1896, in Madras (now Chennai), made his Test debut for India in 1936. He was 40 years old at the time, making him one of India's oldest Test debutants.
It is important to note that Ramaswami was not only a cricketer; he also represented India in tennis and competed at Wimbledon.
In cricket, he appeared in two Test matches for India and managed just 170 runs at an average of 56.66.
Amir Elahi
Amir Elahi had one of the most unusual international careers in the history of Test cricket. He represented both India and Pakistan and made his India debut at the age of 39.
Born in the era before the Partition of India, Elahi first appeared for India against Australia in Sydney in 1947. He later became a Pakistan player and represented the country in five Tests during the 1952-53 tour of India.
Keki Tarapore
Keki Tarapore was another Indian player who earned his Test cap comparatively late at the age of 37. Born on December 17, 1910, in Bombay, Tarapore made his only Test appearance against the West Indies in Delhi in November 1948.
However, he became an important cricket administrator and was involved in India's 1971 tour of the West Indies.
Shute Banerjee
Shute Banerjee made his Test debut for India at the age of 37 years and 124 days, adding his name to the list of India's oldest debutants.
His only Test came against the West Indies at the Brabourne Stadium in Bombay in February 1949. In first-class cricket, he played 138 matches and bagged 385 wickets at an economy rate of 3.27. With the bat, he managed 3715 runs at an average of 20.63.
Saransh Jain
Saransh Jain, at 33 years and 145 days, became the oldest Indian cricketer in the 21st century to make his Test debut. His achievement also placed him among India's oldest debutants since Robin Singh, who first played Test cricket at the age of 35 years and 23 days in 1998.
Saransh Jain makes his India debut (Source:X)
