Suryakumar Yadav was the breakout star in India’s 3-2 T20I series win over England.
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The Mumbai Indians batsman struck a half-century in his maiden international innings and racked up 89 runs across two knocks from just 48 balls.
Yet even on debut, when he wasn’t required to bat, Yadav became something of a rarity in Indian cricket – an international debutant at the age of 30. In the 21st century, only four others have made their debut for India after turning 30.
Here’s a quick look at their stories, including that of the wicketkeeper who upset Steve Waugh’s great Australian side and the batsman who was never dismissed.
Sameer Dighe
Mumbai wicketkeeper Dighe had to wait till he was 31 to play for India, making his ODI debut against Pakistan in January 2000. But it was his red-ball debut a year later that proved most memorable: in the deciding Test of the famous Australian tour of India in 2001, Dighe guided India home in a chase of 155 with an unbeaten 22 to secure a historic two-wicket win at Chennai. He went on to play just five more Tests before entering coaching.
Sreenath Aravind
A left-arm quick rewarded for his performances for Karnataka, Aravind was picked for a T20I series against South Africa in 2015, having picked the brains of his Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Mitchell Starc earlier that year. Just one match proved his reward, though – he went at 12 an over as the Proteas chased down 200. He did claim one wicket, that of captain Faf du Plessis. He bowed out of domestic cricket in style in 2018, helping Karnataka beat Saurashtra in the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Faiz Fazal
In a tour of Zimbabwe in 2016, India decided to leave the big names at home and give youth – and Fazal – a chance. Rewarded for runs for Vidarbha, Fazal truly did nothing wrong on his debut: in the final game of a three-match ODI series, the left-hander finished unbeaten on 55 alongside KL Rahul as India cruised to a 10-wicket win, chasing down 124 in the space of 22 overs. Still, Fazal hasn’t been seen in an India shirt since. He remains a steady performer at domestic level and averaged 49.20 in the recently concluded edition of the Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Shahbaz Nadeem
Before Yadav, Nadeem was the most recent 30-year-old to debut for India this century. The left-arm spinner received his Test cap against South Africa in 2019, and he came away with match figures of 4-40 in a comfortable innings win. Things were less easy last month when Nadeem made his return against England at Chennai: he proved expensive as the visitors put up a mammoth 578 in their first innings, and Axar Patel took his spot for the remainder of the series with extraordinary success.
