After signing a contract with Yorkshire, Indian batter Ruturaj Gaikwad is ready for his first appearance in the County Championship. Before their Championship match against Surrey next month, Gaikwad will join the team. He will stay until the conclusion of the season, when he will also play in the One-Day Cup.
Although Gaikwad is a member of the India A team in England, he hasn’t participated in either of the two matches against the England Lions thus far. Since sustaining an elbow injury in an IPL match that prevented him from competing in the competition, the 28-year-old has really been out of commission for more than two months.
Despite having only participated in 29 ODI and T20I matches for India thus far, Gaikwad has amassed seven hundreds in first-class cricket and sixteen in List A. Since last year, he has led the Chennai Super Kings as captain.
“I’m excited to be joining up with Yorkshire for the rest of the English domestic season,” Gaikwad said after signing. “It has always been a goal of mine to experience cricket in this country and there is no bigger Club in England than Yorkshire. I know how important it is that I hit the ground running at what will be a crucial part of the season. We have some vital games in the County Championship and the One Day Cup is a great opportunity to win some silverware.”
“I’m really happy to see Ruturaj join us for the second half of the season,” stated head coach Anthony McGrath. He is a very skilled cricket player with an all-around game that fits in nicely with the kind of cricket we wish to play. In addition to providing us with some added stability in our batting lineup, Ruturaj can score runs quickly when needed. I know he’s a highly regarded player throughout the game, and he’s an exciting talent.”
