IND vs ENG, 5th Test: Devdutt Padikkal Makes Debut for India after Rajat Patidar's Injury

Ravichandran Ashwin, the experienced spin-bowling all-rounder, handed India batter Devdutt Padikkal his Test cap at the HPCA Stadium. India faces England in the fifth and final Test of the series in Dharamsala.

Padikkal replaced the injured Rajat Patidar in the fifth Test against England. Patidar sustained an injury during training, as verified by India captain Rohit Sharma at the toss. Patidar received his Test cap in Vizag, although he only scored 63 runs in six innings. England won the toss and decided to bat first in the fifth Test.

Paddikal was called as wicketkeeper-batsman KL Rahul was still having injuries and could not cope with them. Rahul was picked to the squad for the third Test. The veteran failed to recover in time, giving Padikkal an opening in his career.

Padikkal has been performing well in the present Ranji Trophy. The left-handed hitter from Karnataka has scored 556 runs in four matches at an average of 92.66 and a strike rate of 76.90, including three hundred.

His most notable successes include batting 193 against Punjab at the KSCA Hubli Cricket Ground, which helped Karnataka win, and 151 against Tamil Nadu. To date, he has appeared in 31 first-class matches, scoring 2227 runs at a 44.54 average and 59.45 strike rate. His steady efforts, including six hundred and twelve fifties, earned him a Test cap for India.

India playing XI for 5th Test

Rohit Sharma (C), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Devdutt Padikkal, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah.