Captaining India at the international level of cricket is the dream of every individual. Sometimes, it takes 30 years for a player to gain the level of captain because the team management only entrusts the responsibility of captaincy to the players who have a high maturity level.
The captain not only needs to make decisions for the team but also ensure that his own game does not get impacted by the burden of captaincy. Several great cricketers have thrived under the pressure of captaincy.
As mentioned above, the selectors give the captaincy to experienced players, and generally, players are in their late 20s or early 30s when they become the captain. However, here’s a list of three such players who became India’s T20I captain before turning 25.
3. Shubman Gill – 24 years and 302 days old
Shubman Gill has become the third youngest captain in Indian cricket T20I history today. The right-handed opener received the responsibility to lead the team in the T20I series against Zimbabwe, and the first match of the series is currently underway, with Gill being the skipper.
Gill’s captaincy career started at Gujarat Titans earlier this year, where he did a decent job and led the franchise to wins over teams like MI, SRH and CSK in his first season only.
2. Rishabh Pant – 24 years and 248 days old
Rishabh Pant had a breakthrough season as Delhi Capitals captain in 2021. In the home series against South Africa in 2022, Pant was surprisingly named the captain of India even though IPL trophy winning captain Hardik Pandya was in the squad. The series ended in a 2-2 draw.
1. Suresh Raina – 23 years and 197 days old
India's Youngest T20I Captains
— 𝑺𝒉𝒆𝒃𝒂𝒔 (@Shebas_10dulkar) July 6, 2024
23yr 197d – Suresh Raina
24yr 248d – Rishabh Pant
24yr 302d – Shubman Gill*
26yr 068d – MS Dhoni#INDvsZIM
The youngest captain in India’s T20I cricket history is Suresh Raina. The former Indian all-rounder led the Men in Blue at the age of 23 years and 197 days only. His debut came in 2010 against Zimbabwe as well, and the Men in Blue won that away series by a scoreline of 2-0.