Team India handed debut Test cap to Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal in the fifth and final Test against England, which got underway in Dharamsala on Thursday (March 7).

Padikkal replaced Rajat Patidar in the team, with skipper Rohit Sharma revealing at the time of the toss that the latter injured himself in a training session before the series finale.

Patidar had made his Test debut in the second match against England in Vizag. However, the Madhya batter failed to make a mark in the first three opportunities he received.

The right-hander, who earned a place in the India squad after his consistent performances for India ‘A’ against the England Lions and also in the Ranji Trophy, managed to register scores of 32, 9, 5, 0, 17 and 0 in six innings against England.

While Patidar's performance was below-par so far, captain Rohit had backed the batter in the press conference on the eve of the Dharamsala Test. However, an injury during a practice session ruled him out of the fifth Test.

"Bumrah is back, Akash Deep misses out. Devdutt Padikkal makes his debut as Patidar got injured last evening," Rohit said at the toss.

BCCI also shared an update on Rajat Patidar’s injury status through a post on social media platform X.

"Rajat Patidar got hit on his left ankle during Team India's practice session on 6th March, 2024. He pulled up sore on the morning of the game and was not available for selection for the 5th Test," BCCI’s statement read.

Patidar’s injury paved the way for Padikkal’s Test debut, who became the 314th player to represent India in the longest format of the game.

India playing XI for Dharamsala Test:

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