Proving one’s worth early on in their career with their brilliant performance is on every young cricketer’s mind. If one is playing for India, it even becomes more important to cement their place in the squad.
And what’s a better way than smashing a century for your country at a young age? A few gifted batters have achieved the milestone at a young age for the Men in Blue.
Here we’ll look at the five youngest Indian batters to score a T20I century.
5. KL Rahul: 110* vs West Indies, 2016 | 24y 131d
In 2016, KL Rahul became the third batter to score a ton for India in the shortest format. Chasing a mammoth target of 246 runs, KL Rahul walked in at No. 4 when India were 2 down on 48.
Rahul started with a bang and kept India in the fight by finding occasional boundaries. Meanwhile, he brought up his half-century in 26 balls.
As the chase progressed, Rahul upped the ante, racing to his maiden T20I hundred off 46 balls at the age of 24 years and 131 days. He remained not out on 110 as India failed to thrash the target by 1 run.
4. Abhishek Sharma: 100 vs Zimbabwe, 2024 | 23y 307d
Abhishek Sharma had a forgettable T20I debut as he got out on a duck. But the next day, the left-hander rebounded quickly.
Batting first, Abhishek Sharma got to his act pretty quick, sending down the ball for a six. He slowed down a bit in the middle, but then he pounced on the right opportunities to hit big.
Once the opener got his fifty off 33 balls, he started dealing in boundaries. Abhishek Sharma reached his maiden T20I century with 3 consecutive sixes.
With that, Abhishek Sharma became the third-fastest (46 balls) and fourth-youngest Indian batter to score a T20I century. He was 23 years and 307 days old.
3. Suresh Raina: 101 vs South Africa, 2010 | 23y 156d
In 2010, Suresh Raina became the first ever Indian batter to notch up a hundred in T20I cricket. He attained the feat at the age of 23 years and 156 days against South Africa in the 2010 T20 World Cup.
Put in to bat first, India were 2 down inside the powerplay. Raina was sent in at No. 3 and struggled to get going initially. He even got a lifeline after being caught on a no ball.
Raina took his time in the middle and built a steady knock, completing his fifty in 42 balls. Later, the left-hander freed himself and charged at South African bowlers, taking them to the cleaners.
Raina brought up his hundred with a six on the 59th ball. On the next delivery, he handed out a catch, putting an end to his 101-run knock.
2. Shubman Gill: 126* vs New Zealand, 2023 | 23y 146d
A month into his T20I career, Shubman Gill impressed everyone with his unbeaten knock of 126 against New Zealand in February 2023. He was 23 years and 146 days old at that time.
It was a series decider, and India elected to bat first. Opening the innings, Gill lost his opening partner, Ishan Kishan, early, but that didn’t deter him.
The right-hander anchored the innings, keeping the scorecard ticking with occasional boundaries. He reached his maiden T20I fifty in 35 fifties.
As the death overs kicked in, Gill accelerated his knock, smashing fours and sixes across the ground. He converted his maiden fifty to a maiden century off 54 balls.
In the end, Gill remained unbeaten on 126 runs off 63 balls, which included 12 fours and 7 sixes.
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal: 100 vs Nepal, 2023 | 21y 279d
Yashasvi Jaiswal surpassed Gill’s 8-month-old record to become the youngest Indian batter to score a T20I century. The left-hand opener was 21 years and 279 days old when he achieved the feat against Nepal in the 2023 Asian Games.
Jaiswal had shown glimpses of his batting in his debut T20I series, but he went a notch ahead in only his sixth game. On a ground with shorter boundaries, he dealt in boundaries at will.
He completed his fifty off 22 balls and raced away to his maiden T20I hundred in 48 balls. Jaiswal perished on the next delivery, ending his knock on 100 runs, which included 8 fours and 7 sixes.
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