(Cricket News) In the final Test, which starts on March 7 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala, India is expected to make a few changes to their playing XI after securing an unassailable 3-1 lead in the five-match Test series against England.

The Indian team management is expected to award the fifth first cap to Devdutt Padikkal, who is expected to make his first Test appearance, should KL Rahul fail to recover match fitness in time. The team has already awarded four debut caps in the series.

Notably, Rahul, who participated in the first Test match of the series in Hyderabad, was unable to play in the next three matches due to discomfort in his right quadriceps. The 31-year-old just took a plane to London to see a doctor who performed surgery on his quadriceps last year.

The Indian squad is expected to gather on Saturday, March 02 in Chandigarh and then board a chartered flight to Dharamsala, according to reports. Therefore, there is very little likelihood that Rahul will be fully healthy by then, which will allow Padikkal to make his Test debut.

The article also mentions that following the Ranchi Test, skipper Rohit Sharma, head coach Rahul Dravid, and other members of the coaching staff met with selectors chairman Ajit Agarkar. The group decided to proceed with Padikkal after Rahul made the decision to speak with a specialist in London.

In 31 first-class cricket matches, the southpaw has amassed 2227 runs at an average of 44.54, with six hundreds and twelve half-centuries to his credit. He is the top run scorer for Karnataka in the present Ranji Trophy 2024, having amassed 556 runs at an average of 92.66 in four games, including three hundreds.

See more: Cameron Greens’ Dominant 174 Drives Australia to a Formidable Total of 383.