Pujara to have county stint ahead of England series
India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will warm-up for his country’s tour to England later this year by playing a stint with Yorkshire in the County Championship.
Pujara went unsold in the IPL auction and will therefore be available to play in England at the start of the County Championship season in April.
India have a one-off Test scheduled against Afghanistan in Bangalore from 14-18 June with the right-hander set to return to Yorkshire ahead of a five-match Test series in England that starts in August.
Pujara said: “I’m really excited to be able to have the opportunity to represent Yorkshire once again.
“It’s always nice to be able to come over here and play some County Cricket and I love the passion the people of Yorkshire have for the game.
“Each time I’ve played county cricket it has improved me as a player. That’s the plan again in 2018. I just want to score as many runs as possible for Yorkshire and soak up as much as I can from the whole experience.”
The 30-year-old Pujara has had previous stints in county cricket with Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire.
He has scored three centuries and three fifties in England’s domestic first-class competition.
Yorkshire’s director of cricket Martyn Moxon said: “It goes without saying that Cheteshwar is a highly-driven individual and very skilled batsman.
“We’re delighted to have him on board. The plan is for him to relieve some of the pressure on the top order that we struggled with at times in 2017.
“Just as he did in 2015, Pujara will relish the challenge of performing in English conditions.”
Latest
-
NewsAshley Giles will not allow England commitments to play second fiddle to IPL
Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Jos Buttler could find themselves involved in a calendar clash.
-
NewsAshley Giles hints at possible new faces for England in New Zealand series
Giles suggested players who recently returned from the postponed Indian Premier League into quarantine may be eased back into action gently.
-
NewsCraig Overton and Lyndon James star in big wins for Somerset and Nottinghamshire
The paceman picked up five second innings wickets to set up victory.
-
NewsGloucestershire escape the bad weather as David Payne rolls over Middlesex
The seamer claimed six for 56 and 10 wickets in the match as the visitors secured a comfortable win.
-
NewsOn this day in 2004: Muttiah Muralitharan beats Shane Warne to Test record
Muralitharan surpassed Courtney Walsh’s mark of 519 Test wickets.
-
NewsCraig Overton displays all-round talents to put Somerset on top
James Bracey also excelled as Gloucestershire pushed for victory over Middlesex.
-
NewsNottinghamshire in control against Essex as 15 wickets fall at Trent Bridge
James Anderson removed Marnus Labuschagne cheaply.
-
NewsEngland could stage remaining IPL games in September as counties contact ECB
It is believed the matches could be wrapped up in little over a fortnight if a model of two games a day and three on weekends was adopted.
-
NewsOn This Day in 1988 – Worcestershire’s Graeme Hick scores 405 in single innings
Hick set a 20th-century County Championship record six years before Brian Lara broke it with his 501 not out for Warwickshire.
-
NewsAfter a failed footballing coup in Europe, it’s time we spoke about the IPL
We have had 13 years of the IPL and, perhaps now, we can imagine that cricket today is the blueprint of what football could have looked like