All-rounder Saransh Jain, who received his maiden international call-up for the ongoing series against Sri Lanka, made his Test debut in the second game on Sunday, August 23, 2026. The match is being played at the Sinhalese Sports Club (SSC) in Colombo.
Saransh Jain was handed his debut cap by veteran all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja. As India won the toss and elected to bat first, he will be in action later. He replaced Kuldeep Yadav in the playing 11, as the wrist-spinner missed out due to an ‘infection’.
It was a memorable moment for Saransh Jain, coming on the back of a fabulous all-round domestic performance. He will be keen to translate the same into his debut outing for India in Colombo. The all-rounder also made history by becoming one of the oldest cricketers to have debuted for India in the format.
Moreover, Saransh Jain achieved a unique record by becoming the oldest Indian cricketer to make his Test debut after 1999. That said, let us take a look at the top five oldest Indians to make their Test debut in the 21st century.
#5 Naman Ojha, 2015
Wicketkeeper-batter Naman Ojha made his Test debut in 2015 against Sri Lanka, incidentally at the SSC in Colombo. He was 32 years and 39 days old at the time. Ojha made 21 runs off 54 balls in the first innings. When India bowled, he also took a couple of catches and effected a stumping with the gloves. In the second innings, he made 35 runs off 63 balls and took two catches.
It was the final Test of the series, which also turned out to be his first and last for India, as he never made it to the playing 11 in the format thereafter. He also represented the Men in Blue in one ODI and two T20Is. Naman Ojha scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket across formats but unfortunately did not have a successful international career.
#4 Suryakumar Yadav, 2023
Former T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav, known for his prowess in the shorter format, also featured in Tests for India. As his international career began late, his Test debut also came at the age of 32 years and 148 days, against Australia at Nagpur in 2023. He made just eight runs off 20 balls, which remains his only knock in the format, as he never played a Test again.
Recently sacked from the side after winning the 2026 T20 World Cup, Suryakumar Yadav is currently out of the national setup. While he played just one Test, he has 5758 runs at an average of 42.33 with 14 hundreds and 30 fifties from 86 first-class matches.
#3 Sameer Dighe, 2001
Former wicketkeeper-batter Sameer Dighe made his Test debut at the age of 32 years and 161 days against Australia at Chennai in 2001. Interestingly, Dighe had given up hopes of playing for the country at 31, when his ODI debut came against Pakistan at Brisbane in 2000, followed by a Test debut the next year.
Sameer Dighe played just six Tests and made 141 runs from ten innings at an average of 15.66 with a top score of 47. He played 23 ODIs, scoring 256 runs at an average of 23.37 with a career-best score of an unbeaten 94 against the West Indies.
#2 Saba Karim, 2000
Former wicketkeeper-batter turned expert and commentator, Saba Karim held the record for being the oldest Indian to make a Test debut in the 21st century, until Saransh Jain broke this record. Saba Karim made his debut in the format in 2000 against Bangladesh in Dhaka, aged 32 years and 362 days.
Like a few on this list, Karim’s debut Test was also his last. He made just 15 runs in one innings against Bangladesh and never featured in the format again. The former wicketkeeper-batter also played 32 ODIs, where he had ordinary returns, making 362 runs at an average of 15.73 with one half-century.
#1 Saransh Jain, 2026
At 33 years and 145 days of age, all-rounder Saransh Jain became the oldest Indian cricketer to make his Test debut in the 21st century. He had a phenomenal 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season for Madhya Pradesh, scoring 518 runs from seven games at an average of 57.55 with a hundred and three fifties, along with 30 wickets at an average of 20.43.
In 54 first-class games so far, Saransh Jain has scored 2223 runs at an average of 31.75 with two hundreds and 14 half-centuries. He has 188 wickets at an average of 27.30 with 10 five-wicket hauls.
Edited by Rishab Vm