Devdutt Padikkal makes debut for India in final Test against England

Padikkal became the fifth Indian player to make a debut in one series, the highest in the annals of India's cricket history. Other players who made Test debuts in the series include Rajat Patidar, Dhruv Jurel, Sarfaraz Khan and Akash Deep.

The southpaw replaces Rajat Patidar who pulled up sore in the morning after an injury during the training session last evening.

"Rajat Patidar got hit on his left ankle during a practice session on March 6, 2024. He pulled up sore on the morning of the game and was not available for selection," BCCI said in a statement.

The 23-year-old has accumulated 2,227 runs at an average of 44.54 including six centuries and 12 fifties in 31 first-class matches.

This Ranji season has been exceptional for him as he mustered up an aggregate of 556 runs in six innings at an average of 92.66 by scoring three centuries, with a highest of 193 in the season opener against Punjab.

Padikkal impressed chairman of selectors Ajit Agarkar with his third Ranji century, scoring 151 against Tamil Nadu at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

He also impressed with scores of 65, 21 and 105 for India A against the touring England Lions in Ahmedabad. He has had a great Vijay Hazare Trophy as well where he scored 465 runs in 5 innings.

The Karnataka batsman was included in the team as a replacement for KL Rahul who was ruled out after the second Test in Visakhapatnam due to quadriceps injury.