Pujara to prepare for England tour with Yorkshire stint
London, UK - Cheteshwar Pujara will warm up for India's Test series in England by playing county cricket for Yorkshire.
Pujara will share overseas duties with New Zealand captain Kane Williamson, and he is so intent upon making a good impression that he is due to arrive in the UK in time for a pre-season friendly against Leeds Bradford MCCU fixture on April 7.
There was little to delight Pujara in the IPL auction. He went unsold and he was one of the players whose name was not even read out. In contrast, his stock in Test cricket remains as high as ever: he stands sixth in the ICC Test rankings, his average top side of 50.
In Johannesburg last week, he went 53 balls before scoring his first run, the most by any top-order international batsman since 2001, but his half-century provided some of the ballast required for an India victory on a dubious pitch.
Despite a deal for Pujara being struck several weeks ago, Yorkshire delayed its announcement until the results of the IPL auction were confirmed.
The BCCI has also scheduled a one-off Test against Afghanistan in Bengaluru, from June 14-18, with Pujara set to depart for India after a 50-over clash at Lancashire, but with Yorkshire hoping he will return in time for an away trip to Hampshire, in the county championship, on June 20.
India play five Tests in England between August 1 and September 11.
"I'm really excited to be able to have the opportunity to represent Yorkshire once again," Pujara said. "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."