Top 3 youngest men's players to captain India in all formats of international cricket ft. Shubman Gill

Australia v India Captains Media Call - Source: Getty
Shubman Gill joined an elite list of Indian captains in the ongoing ODI series opener against Australia [Credit: Getty]

Team India has been blessed with several legendary captains leading the side across formats over the years. While some have achieved success in one or two of the formats, others have been all-format kings.

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Three of their most recent skippers, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, and MS Dhoni, have each achieved ultimate glory in different formats for Team India. Dhoni and Rohit have captained the side to their last five ICC titles from 2007 to 2025.

Meanwhile, Kohli helped India become the dominant force in Test cricket from the mid to late 2010s, including becoming the first-ever Indian captain to win a Test series in Australia in 2018/19.

A few of the Indian captains have also been tasked with the ultimate challenge of leading the side in all three formats from a young age. Being the head of the troops in all formats in a cricket-crazy nation like India, day in and day out, is no mean feat at a young age. While some sank under the spotlight, others thrived to establish themselves as incredible leaders of men.

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On that note, let us look at the top three youngest men's cricketers to captain India in all formats in international cricket.

#1 Shubman Gill

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Shubman Gill became the latest captain to etch his name in Indian history by leading his troops in the ongoing opening ODI against Australia in Perth. Gill first led India in T20Is during the tour of Zimbabwe in July last year, at the age of 24.

More recently, Gill captained India in Tests in their tour of England in June this year at the age of 25 years and 285 days. Finally, at 26 years and 41 days, he became the youngest-ever to lead India in all formats in the ongoing opening ODI against Australia.

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Unfortunately for the right-hander, his first game as captain across formats has been a mixed result. While he scored a breathtaking 147 in his first Test as captain, Gill's white-ball returns have been modest with scores of 31 and 10 in his T20Is and ODI captaincy debuts.

Yet, Gill boasts an excellent overall average as captain across formats at 66.23 with five centuries in 13 matches.

#2 MS Dhoni

Before Shubman Gill, it was the legendary MS Dhoni who held the record for the youngest to lead India in all formats. The former wicketkeeper first led India in T20Is in September 2007 at the age of 26 years and 68 days.

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Following India's incredible 2007 T20 World Cup triumph under him, Dhoni immediately led the ODI side for the first time later in September 2007 at 26 years and 84 days.

The wait was slightly longer in the longest format, with Dhoni first leading India in April 2008 against South Africa at the age of 26 years and 279 days. The now-44-year-old enjoyed much success with the bat as captain, scoring 11,207 runs across formats at an average of almost 47.

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Furthermore, Dhoni remains India's most successful all-format captain with 178 wins in 332 outings. He also led the side to three ICC white-ball titles between 2007 and 2013.

#3 Virender Sehwag

Virender Sehwag may not have led India much across formats, but he finds himself as the third and final name on this elite list. The former opener first captained India in an ODI against Bangladesh in 2003 at the age of only 24 years and 178 days.

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However, it was a wait of over two and a half years before Sehwag led India in a second format, Test cricket, in November 2005 at the age of 27 years and 59 days. He finally led India in T20Is in their first-ever T20I game against South Africa in November of the following year at the age of 28 years and 42 days.

Sehwag was never India's permanent captain in his illustrious career, yet he led the country in 17 games across formats, with the side winning 10 and losing six. However, his batting stuttered as captain, with the former right-hander averaging only 33.52 across formats in 17 outings.

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Edited by Venkatesh Ravichandran
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