Rajat Patidar set to be retained for final Test versus England in Dharamsala | Cricket News

HE has not been among the runs but middle-order batsman Rajat Patidar is likely to retain his place in the playing XI for the fifth Test match against England starting in Dharamsala on Thursday. The Indian Express understands that the team management wants to back Patidar for the final Test. This means Devdutt Padkikkal, the Karnataka batsman, won’t get a Test cap yet.
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 5 wickets to take an unassailable 3-1 lead. .
“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.
Patidar, 30, was named in the Test squad as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who had taken a break. Patidar made his debut in the second Test at Visakhapatnam after KL Rahul was injured. If Rahul had recovered from the quadricep injury and was available for the fifth Test, Patidar would have been released and he could have played for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy semifinal against Vidarbha.

Rahul’s participation in the final Test was subject to fitness but he was ruled out on Thursday. The BCCI medical team is monitoring him and coordinating with specials in London where he is for injury management.

Rahul had played the first Test of the series in Hyderabad and scored 86 and 22.
The Indian team will reach Chandigarh on Saturday en route to Dharamsala.
Meanwhile, Patidar has got the backing of former RCB and South African captain Ab de Villiers. “Rajat Patidar not having the series of a lifetime or the one to remember. But the good thing about this Indian team and the culture is that you will survive in that side because of the great cricket they are playing and the results coming their way,” de Villiers said on his YouTube channel. He further added, “If Patidar’s attitude is catchy and if he is a likable character in the dressing room, Rohit and the selection panel will have the ability to say, ‘Hold on, we do believe this guy has a future and we see him as a part of the team moving forward. Even though he hasn’t been scoring runs, let’s give him a longer run’.”