Devdutt Padikkal hasn't joined team India despite being announced as a replacement cover for KL Rahul

Karnataka batter Devdutt Padikkal will join the India squad for the third Test against England as a replacement for KL Rahul who has regained 90% of his fitness and will be most likely fit for the last two Tests.

KL Rahul complained of some pain in his right quadriceps after which he was ruled out of the third Test and now he will also miss the third Test because of injury which will be a big miss for India in the third Test.

Devdutt Padikkal recently scored a brilliant century against Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy and perfectly timed his innings as the chief selector Ajit Agarkar watching the game from the stands at Chepauk in Chennai.

He scored 151 off 218 deliveries with 12 fours and six sixes in his innings. Padikkal is having a dream season at the Ranji Trophy as he has amassed 556 runs in just six innings at an astonishing average of 92.67 which includes three centuries. As a result of his performances, the Karnataka batter has received an India call-up.

Devdutt Padikkal debuted for the Indian team in 2021 and has played two T20Is for India but after a dip in his form in the IPL and domestic circuit, he was not reconsidered for the national side for a couple of years.

After a terrific performance in the Ranji Trophy in the past two seasons, he has now finally got the call from the national team. However, making his Test debut in the third Test is not looking like a possibility for Padikkal as Sarfaraz Khan is already waiting in line for his debut.

Rajat Patidar is a confirmed prospect for the third Test now as Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer both are unavailable for the third Test. India will see another debutant between Sarfaraz Khan and Devdutt Padikkal who will play at No.5 for the team.

Sarfaraz Khan was included in the Test squad for the second Test but was snubbed from the playing XI with the management going forward with Rajat Patidar in Vizag.

Devdutt Padikkal Will Join The Team On Tuesday

The Ranji trophy match between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu ended on Monday and now Padikkal is set to join the Indian team in Rajkot on Tuesday. “Devdutt Padikkal was busy with the Ranji Trophy. The round has ended today (Monday) only and he will most likely arrive tomorrow (Tuesday) and link up with the squad,” a BCCI official tells CricketNext. India and England will be facing each other in the third Test of the five-match series at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot.

Meanwhile, Mohammed Siraj missed the optional training session because of his late arrival in Rajkot on Monday evening. The team management will also decide on the future of KS Bharat as the wicketkeeper has not given any notable performance after playing seven Test matches.

It has been speculated that the management is thinking of allowing young keeper Dhruv Jurel to keep wickets in the third Test. Dhruv Jurel is a wicketkeeper-batter from Uttar Pradesh. The third Test between India and England will commence on February 15, Thursday.