India's Predicted XI vs England 5th Test: Devdutt Padikkal To Replace Rajat Patidar?

The Rohit Sharma-led Team India is all set to take on England in the fifth and final Test of the five-match series, starting March 7 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala. The Anthony de Mello Trophy has already been clinched by India as they head into the fifth match of the series with a 3-1 lead. England began the series on a winning note at Hyderabad. However, India bounced back with three successive wins to hand England their first Test series defeat since Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes took charge as coach and captain, respectively.

Heading into the Dharamsala Test, team India is mulling over the possibility give a Test cap to Karnataka's Devdutt Padikkal.

Since KL Rahul has been ruled out of the final Test and Rajat Patidar has failed to impress with the bat, it seems likely that Padikkal will get the nod for the fifth Test.

Ravichandran Ashwin, who reached 500 Test wickets in Rajkot, becoming the second-fastest to the milestone in terms of Tests played, is all set to play his 100th Test at Dharamsala. Here's a look at India's predicted playing XI for the fifth Test against England.

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal has been having a dream run in the ongoing series as the southpaw has amassed 655 runs in eight innings at an impressive average of 93.57.

So far, Jaiswal has smashed two hundreds and just as many fifties with his highest score being 214* at Rajkot. He is also the highest run-getter in the series.

2. Rohit Sharma (c) has had his share of ups and downs in the red-ball format since the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, the batting legend has done well to lead an inexperienced team in the absence of prominent names like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, and Mohammed Shami.

He's scored 297 runs in the series