Cricket is often called a youth’s game, but some players stepped onto the international stage at such a young age that the world was surprised. While many players make it to the national team after years of hard work in domestic cricket, some have created history by making their One Day International (ODI) debut at school age. Today we are talking about those top-5 youngest players to play ODI, who created history at a very young age.

Hasan Raza – Pakistan

The record of playing ODI at the youngest age in the history of cricket is in the name of Pakistan’s Hasan Raza. He played a match against Zimbabwe in Quetta on 30 October 1996. At that time Hasan’s age was only 14 years and 233 days. Although there was some controversy later regarding his birth certificate, this record is still officially registered. Hasan played only a few matches for Pakistan, but he made an immortal mark in cricket history.

Mohammad Sharif – Bangladesh

Mohammad Sharif made his ODI debut for Bangladesh at the age of 15 years and 116 days in 2001 against Zimbabwe in Harare. Sharif was an all-rounder, who made a place in the team with his swing bowling and lower order batting. However, he could not stay at the international level for long.

Gulshan Jha – Nepal

Nepal’s young fast bowler Gulshan Jha made his ODI debut against America on 17 September 2021 in Al Emirates (Oman). By entering the field at the age of 15 years and 212 days, he became one of the youngest players of Nepal. Gulshan is still an important part of the Nepal team and is considered the future of the country.

Gurdeep Singh – Kenya

Kenya’s Gurdeep Singh made his debut on 4 October 2013 against Afghanistan in Sharjah. At the age of 15 years and 258 days, Gurdeep’s name got registered in the international record book. Although his career did not last long, he created history for Kenyan cricket.

Nitish Kumar – Canada

Canada’s Nitish Kumar made his ODI debut on 18 February 2010 against Afghanistan in Sharjah. He entered international cricket at the age of just 15 years and 273 days. Today he has become an experienced player of the Canadian cricket team and has also handled the captaincy many times.

The emergence of young players in the cricket world has always been exciting. There are many players who shocked the world by making their debut in international ODI cricket at a very young age. Many of these players later performed well in their career and these young players proved their ability and freshly that talent has no age. Here we will tell you about 7 players who made their youngest debut in the history of ODI cricket.

7 players who debut the youngest in ODI cricket

1. Hasan Raza (Pakistan): Hasan Raza is the youngest player to make ODI debut at the age of 14 years and 233 days. He played his first match against Zimbabwe in Quetta on 30 October 1996. However, there was a dispute on his date of birth later.
2. Mohammad Sharif (Bangladesh): Bangladesh fast bowler Mohammad Sharif is the second youngest player to make his ODI debut at the age of 15 years and 116 days. He played his first match against Zimbabwe in Harare on 7 April 2001.
3. Gulshan Jha (Nepal): Nepal all -rounder Gulshan Jha is the third young player to make ODI debut at the age of 15 years and 212 days. He played his first ODI against America on 17 September 2021 in Al Emirates.
4. Gurdeep Singh (Kenya): Gurdeep Singh of Kenya is the fourth young player to make ODI debut at the age of 15 years and 258 days. He played his first ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah on 4 October 2013.
5. NR Kumar (Canada): NR Kumar of Canada is the fifth young player to make ODI debut at the age of 15 years 273 days. He played his first ODI against Afghanistan in Sharjah on 18 February 2010.
6. Rohit Kumar Paudel (Nepal): Rohit Kumar Paudel of Nepal is the sixth young player to make ODI debut at the age of 15 years and 335 days. He had his first ODI against the Netherlands in Amstelveen on 3 August 2018.
7. Kushal Malla (Nepal): Another player from Nepal, Kushal Malla, is the seventh young player to make his ODI debut at the age of 15 years and 340 days. He played his first ODI against America in Kirtipur on 8 February 2020.

Test Cricket: Test cricket is considered to be a game of experience and patience, but there have also been some players in history who surprised everyone by stepping into international cricket at a very young age. Some of these players were wearing a Test cap at that age, when most children are practicing in school or practicing cricket. Let’s know about the top players who made their youngest debut in Test cricket history.

Hassan Raza- Pakistan

The record of playing Test cricket at the youngest is the name of Hassan Raza of Pakistan, who made his Test debut on behalf of Pakistan at the age of just 14 years and 227 days. The match was played against Zimbabwe in Faisalabad on 24 October 1996. It was difficult to see Hasan Raza that he was really part of the international level match. There was a lot of controversy about his selection, but his name is still recorded as the youngest Test player in the records.

Mushtaq Mohammed- Pakistan

The second name in this list is also of Pakistan’s legendary cricketer Mushtaq Mohammed, who played his first Test against West Indies at the age of 15 years and 124 days on 26 March 1959 in Lahore. Later, he was also counted among the most successful captains of Pakistan and he also contributed significantly as a coach.

Mohammad Sharif- Bangladesh

The third number is Mohammad Sharif of Bangladesh, who made his Test debut against Zimbabwe on 19 April 2001 at the age of 15 years and 128 days. Bangladesh also made a new beginning in Test cricket and Sharif was a symbol of the young talent that the team wanted to pursue.

Aqib Javed- Pakistan

Fourth place is once again Pakistan’s player, Aqib Javed, who started his Test career against New Zealand on 10 February 1989 at the age of 16 years and 189 days in Wellington. Later, Javed became the identity of Pakistan’s fast bowling and he also contributed significantly to the World Cup 1992 victory.

Sachin Tendulkar- India

India’s great batsman Sachin Tendulkar is at number five in this list, who is called God of cricket. He made his Test debut in Karachi on 15 November 1989 against Pakistan at the age of 16 years and 205 days. The same match was in which he faced bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and performed the best game without fear. The match was the beginning of Sachin’s great career which went ahead to 200 Test matches and 100 international centuries.