As James Anderson almost completed 19 years of his glittering antiquity in cricket, still going strong and rubbing shoulders with the English youngsters, it rekindled memories of Sachin Tendulkar once doing so for India.
The Little Master’s scintillating career spanned for almost 24 years before he hung up his boots once and for all. He started his international career on 15th November, 1989 against India’s arch-rivals, Pakistan and played his final Test against West Indies on 14th November, 2013.
In this span of 24 years, the Master has seen countless events that altered the history of cricket once and for all, has penned countless records that are still to be broken and carved a trail of brilliance that the current Indian team blindly follows at the moment.
In this story we will be seeing the age of Indian cricketers at the time of Sachin Tendulkar’s debut.
1. Shikhar Dhawan
When Sachin Tendulkar made his debut, the opening southpaw was just 4-years-old. He was born on 5th December 1985 and his career started on 20th October 2010 against Australia.
2. Rohit Sharma
When Sachin made his debut in Indian colours, Sharma was just shuffling around with a plastic bat most likely. He was only 2 years old when Sachin took the field. Sharma made his international debut on 23rd June 2007. The duo played together a remarkable partnership that helped India to chronicle an impressive lead in the VB Series finals Down Under.
3. Virat Kohli
Chikoo or who is popularly known as Kohli was only 1 year old when Sachin came to the international arena. He was born on 5th November, 1988. The duo was seen together in the World Cup finale of 2011 where Sachin gave India a good start and Kohli stabilized the innings with his partnership alongside Gambhir.
4. Ajinkya Rahane
The man who is under the sword currently, Ajinkya Rahane, was just 1 year old when India incorporated Sachin Tendulkar in their ranks. He made his international debut on 3rd September 2011 against England.
5. KL Rahul
Despite being one of India’s most promising batsmen, wreaking havoc in the opposition bowling line-up, KL Rahul didn’t effloresce when Sachin took the field. He was born 4 years later and joined the Indian cricket team on 26th December 2014.
6. Hardik Pandya
Another booming all-rounder who has been convalescing from a back-injury, Hardik Pandya was also not born when India witnessed the 16-year-old sensation tame the likes of Pakistani bowlers. Hardik made his Indian debut on 16th October 2016.
7. Cheteshwar Pujara
One of India’s most reliable Test batters was born on 25th January 1988 that gave him ample time to settle down and get a feeble glimpse of Tendulkar making his debut after a year. Pujara was introduced to international cricket on 9th October 2010 against Australia.
8. Rishabh Pant
One of the most cheery cricketers of the Indian team, Pant has been doing a decent job for the last few Test matches. However, when it comes to Sachin Tendulkar being brought into the snap, Pant was not born when Tendulkar took the pitch. Pant came to this beautiful planet on 4th October 1997.
9. Ravindra Jadeja
Jadeja was just in time to watch the Little Master take the field. In fact, he hardly understood but it was a tingling sensation in his gut that paved the way for one of India’s most prolific all-rounders. He started with his international career on 8th February 2009. He was 1 year old at the time of Sachin’s debut.
10. Ravichandran Ashwin
Ash is one of the senior-most bowlers of the Indian team and he is currently spearheading India’s bowling unit against the English force. He was 3 years old when Sachin made his debut and later went on to play alongside him in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Ashwin’s debut came on 5th June 2010 against Sri Lanka.
11. Jasprit Bumrah
India’s ace fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah was not born when Sachin came down the international pike. He was born 4 years later on 6th December 1993. He went on to make his debut on 23rd January 2016 against Australia.
12. Mohammed Shami
Despite being a senior player, he was also born after Sachin made his debut. He missed out the Master’s footfall in international cricket by a whisker. He was born a year later on 3rd September 1990 and made his international debut on 6th January 2013 against Pakistan.
13. Ishant Sharma
The lanky beanpole was born just in time to watch Tendulkar play as his birth date is 2nd September 1988. He also went on to play quite a few matches alongside Tendulkar as his international debut happened on 25th May 2007.
