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Who have been some of the most promising, youngest and ultimately, charismatic names to have ever led the Indian Test cricket unit? Surely, there haven't been the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and not even MS Dhoni, three great names of the game, who could be counted as the youngest to ever lead a Test side.
Having said that, we have covered the five youngest names to ever lead an Indian Test team and in a manner that whether their successes or not so big feats have found a place in the records books and left a deep impact on the fans' imagnation. Let us find out then:
Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi: 21 years, 77 days vs West Indies, Bridgetown - March 23, 1962
Not called Tiger Pataudi for nothing, there was a sense of elegance and resilience about the youngest-ever Test captain of India, someone who was also a proper gentleman on and off the cricket pitch.
With his bold and fearless approach to the game, MAK Pataudi, led the Test side in forty contests.
Sachin Tendulkar: 23 years, 169 days vs Australia, Delhi - October 10, 1996
An undisputed great of the game, a legend for all the right reasons for every season, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar may have been the second-youngest Test captain for India ever but his wasn't a great streak as the leader of the Test unit.
The shocking 81 all-out in Barbados in West Indies in March of 1997 was one of the saddest episodes for Team India. Tendulkar didn't seem to enjoy the captaincy stint all that much but always contributed useful and big runs from the bat when the team needed it.
For instance, while many lambast India for being such a hapless team in their defeat to the West Indies by 38 runs, it was Tendulkar, the captain, who had made 92 runs with the bat.
It was the highest score by an Indian in that entire game, whilst his opposite number, Brian Lara only top scored with a 45.
Under his leadership, India only won four Test matches and a success rate of 16% blanketed the great batter's success as a cricket legend.
Kapil Dev: 24 years, 48 days vs West Indies, Kingston - February 23, 1983
Clearly, the most iconic and dominant name in the list of the youngest Test captains of all time where it concerns Indian cricket, Kapil Dev is clearly a household name in India as also in other cricket-obsessed countries. It was under his Test leadership that India grew from strength to strength that several classy and highly accomplished legends of the game, such as Sunil Gavaskar and Dileep Vengsarkar displayed great finesse with the bat in different parts of the world.
Kapil Dev also collected 434 international Test wickets, a prime example of a great leader showing the way from the front.
It continues to stand as the world record for most international Test wickets by an Indian seamer of all time in the longest format of the sport.
Ravi Shastri: 25 years, 229 days vs West Indies, Chennai - January 11, 1988
One of the most charismatic and irrepressible players of the Indian cricket team, a legend of the game whose voice has captured - and still does - some of the most iconic moments in modern sporting history, Ravi Shastri was one of the youngest captains ever.
The fourth youngest in terms of his age where back in 1988 he was made the Indian Test captain.
Shubman Gill: 25 years, 285 days vs England, Leeds - June 20, 2025
Quite clearly, the man of the moment, a courageous batsman who plays in the classical mould, Shubman Gill, as of June 20, 2025 is just a little over 25 years old. He, therefore, happens to be the fifth youngest captain of this Test side.
And with his fairly young-looking Indian team already set for the English battle in what promises to be a mouthwatering month long feast of Test cricket, the stakes couldn't possibly be any higher. However, having said that, he would like to lead from the front and score dollops of runs from the bat and set an example for his keen and hungry-looking Indian side.
