The players who debuted in Test cricket before Rohit-Virat, are still active.

Rohit Sharma (Debut in November 2013) and Virat Kohli (Debut in June 2011) announced his retirement from Test cricket in May 2025, ending an era in Indian cricket. However, some Indian players, who made their debut in Test cricket before these two veterans, are still active in this format. We will tell you about the players who made a Test debut before Virat and Rohit and are still playing.

Ishant Sharma

Long -handed right -handed fast bowler Ishant Sharma made his Test debut in 2007. At the age of just 18, this Delhi fast bowler received a call up from Team India and immediately left his mark. One of his early and most memorable moments was the 2008 Perth Test, where he troubled Australian captain Ricky Ponting with his bowling. That spell is still fresh in the minds of cricket lovers.

In his long Test career, Ishant took 311 wickets in 105 matches, with which he became India’s second fast bowler to play 100 Test matches after Kapil Dev. His early years struggled with injuries and poor form, especially his ankle surgery in 2012 harassed him. But after 2014 he became a regular member of the team and he performed brilliantly under Kohli’s captaincy.

Ishant led the bowling attack in India’s historic Australia Test series win in 2018. His bowling in England also won everyone’s heart, especially with his 7/74 match Jitau Spell at Lord’s in 2014. His ability to put long spells made him different from the rest of the players on difficult pitches.

Although he has not played for the Indian team since 2021, he is playing in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy for Delhi even at the age of 36 and is part of the Gujarat Titans in IPL 2025. The special thing is that Ishant has now stepped into the world of commentary. The possibility of his return seems to be less, but he has still not officially retired from Test cricket.

Cheteshwar Pujara

One of India’s most spectacular Test batsmen, Cheteshwar Pujara is still playing since 2010 Test debut. The art of this right -handed batsman staying at the crease for a long time and exhausing the opposition bowlers with his old school style helped him achieve many heights for India. Pujara came to the Indian team when the team was going through a change when Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and VVS Laxman were at the last stop of their career.

In 103 Tests, Pujara scored 7195 runs at an average of 43.60, including 19 centuries and 35 half -centuries. His most memorable moments came on foreign tours, especially during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy of 2018 and 20-21, he won everyone’s heart with his batting. In 2018, he scored 521 runs at an average of 74.42, while in 2020-21 scored 271 runs and during this time he suffered several injuries on the body and played an important role in the series victory. His combative batting won the hearts of every cricket lover.

Although Pujara has been out of the Indian team since the 2023 World Test Championship final, he is still playing domestic cricket when he gets a chance. He is playing in the Ranji Trophy for Saurashtra and also played county cricket for Sussex in England. In the 2024-25 Ranji season, he scored 402 runs in 10 innings at an average of 40.20, including a double century. After the retirement of Virat Kohli, the discussion of Pujara’s return has intensified due to vacancy of number 4. Fans hope that this solid batsman will once again make his place in the Indian Test team and will show the way to the youth team with his experience.