5 youngest Indian cricketers to score a Test century

Test cricket is considered as the purest format for a reason. Batters and bowlers have to earn their runs and wickets. India, like a lot of other top cricketing nations, have focused a lot on Test cricket since

a long time now. As far as batters are concerned, registering a hundred in any sort of conditions is a significant milestone for any player.

A lot of Indian cricketers attained their first Test ton quite early on in their careers. Several of them blossomed into classical talents who carved out their careers perfectly while the others frizzled out after a brief spark of brilliance. On that note, here is a look at India's youngest Test centurions.

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5 youngest Indian cricketers to score a Test century

5. Madhav Apte (20 years, 137 days)

India were coming off a 142-run loss in the second Test in Bridgetown. They were pushed on the backfoot after West Indies edged past India's first innings total to take the lead. Madhav Apte, who got out on a duck in the first innings, batted for the bulk of the fourth day and continued until Lunch on the fifth to stay unbeaten on a brilliant 163 not-out.

To most of the Indian cricketer's disappointment, he was dropped abruptly and never made it back to the red-ball side. Apte scored 542 runs in his seven-Test career. He continued to be a tower of strength as a batter and skipper for several years to Bombay (now Mumbai).  

4. Abbas Ali Baig (20 years, 126 days)

India had conceded a massive 282-run lead to England in the fourth Test of the 1959 tour. Abbas Ali Baig, playing his first Test, had scored 26 in his debut innings. Baig fought the short-ball barrage from the opposition and came back from being retired hurt to stroke a wonderful ton. The century was applauded by the raucous English crowd at Old Trafford.

Much like Apte, in hindsight, Baig was criminally underutilised for all the talent he possessed. Baig only played 10 Tests for the nation before he was dropped indefinitely. Baig's First-Class career majorly constituted representing Hyderabad. He even played a fair bit for Somerset and Oxford University as well in a FC career which lasted 235 matches with 12,367 runs under his belt.

3. Kapil Dev (20 years, 18 days)

Opting to bat first in the fifth match of the six-match series in the home Test series in the 1978/79 season, India ended Day 1 with the loss of only one wicket with skipper Sunil Gavaskar unbeaten on 119. By the end of the second day, Kapil Dev was only six short of his first Test hundred. Kapil was the third centurion for India in their innings. His unbeaten 124-ball 126-run knock comprised 11 fours and one six.

Kapil went onto become a legend of the game in not only Test cricket but ODIs too. Speaking of his Test career, Kapil is the only cricketer to have attained the prestigious double of scoring 5000-plus runs and picking up 400-plus wickets. He led the Test team emphatically well and was quite an integral member of the red-ball setup. 

2. Prithvi Shaw (18 years, 329 days)

After a string of impressive performances in age-group cricket, the U19 World Cup and domestic tournaments, Prithvi Shawbecame the 293rd player to earn a Test debut for India. Shaw impressed and stroked a wonderful 154-ball 134, slamming 19 fours in his 238-minute stay at the crease. 

A serious lateral ligament injury to his left ankle in November 2018 followed by an eight-month doping suspension from March to November in 2019 meant Shaw missed out on the home Test season. An underwhelming outing in Adelaide against Australia in late 2020 in addition to disciplinary reasons and lack of domestic form meant Shaw soon fell out of contention.  

1. Sachin Tendulkar (17 years, 107 days)

Sachin Tendulkarhad a mixed start to his Test career. Ahead of the Manchester Test in August 1990, Tendulkar was yet to score his maiden Test ton. He did not miss out in India's second innings like he did in the first, amassing a gritty unbeaten 119-run knock which came off 189 deliveries. Tendulkar's contributions earned India a famous draw and personally a Player of the Match award.

His last international game was the Mumbai Test against West Indies, his 200th game in the format. He retired from the longest format of the game in November 2013. Tendulkar remains the leading run-getter in both Test and ODI cricket. He amassed a mammoth 15,921 runs in 329 innings at a fantastic average of 53.78, including 68 half-centuries and 51 centuries.