Varun Chakravarthy made his ODI debut for India on Sunday (February 9), making him the second-oldest player from the country to do so.
Ever since making a comeback to the Indian national team in 2024, following three years out of the side, Varun has excelled in the T20 format with a staggering 31 wickets in 12 matches. After a stellar series against England which ended last week, he received a late call-up to the ODI squad for the three-match series against the same opposition.
Match 2nd ODI, India vs England
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Who is the oldest Indian to debut in ODIs?
Varun did not play the first ODI, but has been handed a cap in the second, replacing Kuldeep Yadav. Aged 33 years and 164 days, he is now the second-oldest player ever to debut for India in the format.
The oldest is wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer, who played in India's first-ever ODI at the age of 36 years and 138 days.
Read more: Can Varun Chakravarthy sneak into India's Champions Trophy squad?
The mystery spinner has also pushed India's skipper in that first match in Leeds, Ajit Wadekar, down to third place. Last year, the Indian women's team also had a late debutant in the form of leggie Asha Sobhana, who played against South Africa in Bengaluru at the age of 33 years and 92 days.
Oldest ODI debutants for India, full list
| Player | Age | Opposition | Venue | Date |
| Farokh Engineer | 36y 138d | England | Leeds | 13 Jul 1974 |
| Varun Chakravarthy | 33y 164d | England | Cuttack | 9 Feb 2025 |
| Ajit Wadekar | 33y 103d | England | Leeds | 13 Jul 1974 |
| Asha Sobhana | 33y 92d | South Africa (W) | Bengaluru | 16 Jun 2024 |
| Dilip Doshi | 32y 350d | Australia | Melbourne | 6 Dec 1980 |
| S Abid Ali | 32y 307d | England | Leeds | 13 Jul 1974 |
| Krishnappa Gowtham | 32y 276d | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 23 Jul 2021 |
| Seema Pujare | 31y 238d | Sri Lanka (W) | Dambulla | 3 May 2008 |
| Sameer Dighe | 31y 94d | Pakistan | Brisbane | 10 Jan 2000 |
| Chetan Chauhan | 31y 72d | Pakistan | Quetta | 1 Oct 1978 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 30y 307d | Sri Lanka | Colombo (RPS) | 18 Jul 2021 |
| Faiz Fazal | 30y 282d | Zimbabwe | Harare | 15 Jun 2016 |
| Bhagwat Chandrasekhar | 30y 281d | New Zealand | Auckland | 22 Feb 1976 |
| Utpal Chatterjee | 30y 266d | Bangladesh | Sharjah | 5 Apr 1995 |
| Rajat Patidar | 30y 203d | South Africa | Paarl | 21 Dec 2023 |
| Tirumalai Srinivasan | 30y 41d | Australia | Melbourne | 6 Dec 1980 |
-Engineer, Wadekar and Abid Ali's debuts came in India's first-ever ODI
-Gowtham and Suryakumar debuted in Sri Lanka when one Indian team played a white-ball series in Sri Lanka, and the Test team was simultaneously touring England
-Asha Sobhana is the oldest ODI debutant for the women's team
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