Ravichandran Ashwin is all set for his first county stint in England. The Indian off-spinner will playing for Worcestershire from the end of this month, reported ESPNCricinfo on Monday. Three other players from the current Test squad – top ranked bowler and all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara will also be heading for the county after the ongoing Test series. None of them feature in the current limited-overs squad for the next leg of the series in Sri Lanka.
Pacer Ishant has signed up with Warwickshire, while Jadeja’s team in unconfirmed, but he is said to be in talks with several teams, continued the report. Ashwin could start his stint as early as August 28, when Worcestershire play Gloucestershire.
Pujara, on the other hand, will continue playing for Nottinghamshire. The batsman had done well in his county stint last season, scoring 223 runs in five innings, including a match-winning hundred against Gloucestershire.
The county stint will be good preparation of the conditions in England for India’s Test team regulars as India have a five Test series coming up next year. The last time India toured England for a Test tour, they were in the receiving end of a series loss. The current team, led by Virat Kohli, is ranked No 1 in the world but has largely played at home.