The captain is 25; the youngest player is 22; and the average age of the Indian cricket team that will tour England next month is 27.4 years.Just for comparison, the last time India toured England for a full Test series in 2021, the team’s average age was around 29. Shubman Gill, the captain who will lead India into the series next month was part of that team — and among its youngest members at 21. India has been on a
The captain is 25; the youngest player is 22; and the average age of the Indian cricket team that will tour England next month is 27.4 years.Just for comparison, the last time India toured England for a full Test series in 2021, the team’s average age was around 29. Shubman Gill, the captain who will lead India into the series next month was part of that team — and among its youngest members at 21. India has been on a path of transition for some time — the team that toured Australia in 2024-25 had an average age of 29.2 years (as a point of reference, the Australian team they faced had an average age of 32.5).
By any measure then, this is a new Indian team, albeit an untested one — the team’s average experience is 20.61 Tests (Ravindra Jadeja is the most experienced of the 18 players with 80 Tests; nine of its members have played 10 Tests or less, including three that have played none). Everything indicates a brave choice by the selectors to step into the future — starting with the choice of Gill, a relative veteran in this team with 32 Tests and an average of around 35 (which is low for a top-order batter).
Change is good — but it also means not just the selectors, but analysts and the public have to be patient, and allow a young team to find its legs. Then, one of the great joys of sport and life is to step into the unknown and see how things turn out. India has won a Test series in England only thrice. It is also worth noting that this team’s success could have an impact on the future of Test cricket itself. For as long as India is winning in the five-day game, the BCCI and its billions, and hundreds of millions of Indians, will stay invested in the beautiful game.
One Subscription.
Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines
to 100 year archives.
Archives
HT App & Website