Multiple reports have surfaced over the past few days regarding Devdutt Padikkal making his Test debut in the fifth Test match against England, set to begin in Dharamsala. However, the latest information suggests that the team has opted to give Rajat Patidar another opportunity to showcase his abilities. This decision indicates that Patidar will be included in the final Test, while Padikkal will have to wait for his Test Cap.
Patidar's Performance during three Test matches vs England
Patidar has played three Test matches during the series and has scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0. Patidar’s place was under scrutiny after the fourth Test match in Ranchi which India won by five wickets to take an unassailable 3-1 lead.
Patidar gets one more chance
“The team wants Patidar to get one more chance as they feel Patidar has talent and it’s a matter of time before he gets runs. As India has already won the series, the team wants to try him out one more time instead of giving a debut to Devdutt Padikkal,” a source said on Indian Express.
30-year-old Patidar was included in the Test squad as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who was on a break. He made his debut in the second Test at Visakhapatnam following KL Rahul's injury. If Rahul had recovered from his quadricep injury and was available for the fifth Test, Patidar would have been released and could have played for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha.
Rahul's participation in the final Test depended on his fitness, but he was officially ruled out on March 7. The BCCI medical team is closely monitoring his condition and coordinating with specialists in London, where he is undergoing injury management.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah, who was previously released from the squad for the fourth Test in Ranchi, has returned to the team for the fifth Test in Dharamsala. Washington Sundar has been released from the squad and will join his state side, Tamil Nadu, for their Ranji Trophy semifinal match against Mumbai, beginning on March 2. He will rejoin the India squad after the domestic fixture concludes, potentially for the fifth Test if required.
India’s updated squad for the 5th Test
Rohit Sharma (C), Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Devdutt Padikkal, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Akash Deep.
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