Indian cricket team in action against England© AFP
Devdutt Padikkal is likely to make his debut for the Indian cricket team in the fifth Test match against England in Dharamsala starting March 7, according to Hindustan Times. The report claimed that with KL Rahul ruled out due to injury and Rajat Patidar not scoring runs in the past couple of matches, the team management is all set to include the left-handed batter in the playing XI. It also quoted a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) source who said that the team management also want to have a look at Padikkal as it is the last international game for Team India ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
“Padikkal will make his debut in Dharamsala. Rahul is unlikely to be available and the team management wants to have a look at Padikkal as it is the last international fixture before the IPL,” a BCCI source told Hindustan Times.
Meanwhile, Ishan Kishan and Shreyas Iyer were excluded after ignoring the directive to play Ranji Trophy, while skipper Rohit Sharma and star batter Virat Kohli expectedly retained their place in the top bracket as the BCCI unveiled its centrally-contracted players for this year on Wednesday.
The 25-year-old Kishan did not turn up for Jharkhand throughout the team’s campaign in Ranji Trophy despite not being on national duty since leaving from the tour of South Africa in December citing personal reasons. He has instead focused on preparing for the IPL next month.
Iyer, on the other hand, did not make himself available for Mumbai’s Ranji quarterfinal against Baroda after being excluded from the Indian team after the second Test against England. He, however, has been picked for the Ranji semifinals starting March 2.
While announcing the central contracts for 2023-24, the BCCI once again advised all India cricketers to play domestic games when not on national duty.
“Please note that Shreyas Iyer and Ishan Kishan were not considered for the annual contracts in this round of recommendations,” said the BCCI in a statement.
“The BCCI has recommended that all athletes give precedence to participating in domestic cricket during periods when they are not representing the national team,” the board added.
(With PTI inputs)
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