Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal is likely to make his Test debut for Team India in the final and fifth Test of the ongoing series against England, starting on March 7 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala.
India are currently hit by slew of injuries in the ongoing Test series. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) confirmed that KL Rahul has been ruled out of the Dharamshala Test as he is yet to recover from quadriceps injury, which suffered during the first Test in Hyderabad.
Also, Rajat Patidar's poor returns in the last three Tests of the series against England might force the Team India management to make the changes in their playing XI for the Dharamshala Test. Patidar managed to score only 63 runs across three innings.
Padikkal to make Test debut
As per the report by Hindustan Times, a BCCI official confirmed that Devdutt Padikkal is likely to make his debut for India in whites due to unlikelihood of KL Rahul's participation in the Dharamshala Test.
"Padikkal will make his debut in Dharamshala. Rahul is unlikely to be available and the team management wants to have a look at Padikkal as it’s the last international fixture before the IPL." a BCCI source told HT.
Devdutt Padikkal was added to the Test squad after KL Rahul was ruled out of the third Test in Rajkot. Padikkal was a substitute fielder for the Rajkot Test after Ravichandran Ashwin withdrew from the Test as he had to travel back to home Chennai to attend to his mother, who was hospitalized after falling sick.
Devdutt Padikkal was part of India A team for the three-match unofficial Test series against England Lions.
Devdutt Padikkal emerges as run-getter for Karnataka in Ranji Trophy 2023-24
Devdutt Padikkal was one of the top batters for Karnataka in the ongoing Ranji Trophy 2023-24. The 23-year-old was the highest run-scorer for his team, amassing 556 runs, including 3 centuries, at an average of 92.66 in six innings.
Padikkal's best performance came in the Ranji Trophy came against Punjab, where he scored 193 off 214 balls in the first innings. Karnataka won that match by seven wickets.
Devdutt Padikkal made his first-class debut for Karnataka in a Ranji Trophy match against Maharashtra in 2018. Since then, he has been consistently performing and became one of the batting mainstays for Karnataka in domestic cricket.
In 31 FC matches, Padikkal has amassed 2227 runs, including 6 centuries and 12 fifties, at an average of 44.54.
