Dharamasala: Karnataka top-order batter Devdutt Padikkal made his Test debut in the fifth and final Test against England here on Thursday. The 23-year-old, who has his roots in Kerala, became the fifth Indian to make debut in the ongoing series. He replaced a struggling Rajat Patidar in the Indian playing XL. Patidaar, Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Akash Deep were the other debutants for India in the series.

A fearless batsman, who loves to play his strokes and looks to dominate, the lanky southpaw caught the eye of the selectors with his consistent performances for Karnataka and Indian Premier League (IPL) sides Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals. 

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Born at Edappal in Kerala's Malappuram district to Babunu and Ambili, Devdutt’s tryst with cricket began when his family decided to move from Hyderabad to Bengaluru. 

Devdutt has been training at the Karnataka Institute of Cricket ever since his family shifted to Bengaluru from Hyderabad in 2011. He first represented Karnataka in 2014 and went on to play for the state in the U-16 and U-19 categories. Consistent performance for age-group teams helped him earn a call-up to the India U-19 team. 

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In 2017, Karnataka Premier League franchise Bellary Tuskers picked him up and so far he has played for them in three seasons. His exploits in the local league caught the attention of RCB's director of cricket Mike Hesson and was soon rewarded with an IPL contract by RCB.

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