Ruturaj Gaikwad sign county deal with Yorkshire

After securing a contract with Yorkshire, Indian batsman Ruturaj Gaikwad is all set to play in the County Championship for the first time. Gaikwad will join the team prior to their Championship matchup with Surrey next month and stay until the end of the season, when he will also play in the One-Day Cup. Gaikwad is in England with the India A team right now, but he hasn't played in either of their games yet against the England Lions. In fact, the 28-year-old hasn't been in action for more than two months now ever since he suffered an elbow injury in an IPL game that ruled him out of the tournament. Even though he has played only 29 matches for India so far across ODIs and T20Is, Gaikwad has hit seven centuries in first-class cricket and 16 in List A. He has been captaining Chennai Super Kings since last year. "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 am aware of how crucial it is for me to get going immediately during a crucial period 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 extremely pleased to see Ruturaj sign with us for the second half of the season," said head coach Anthony McGrath. He is a very accomplished cricketer with a natural all-round game that is well suited to the cricket we want to play. Ruturaj will give our batting lineup more stability and the ability to score runs quickly when needed. I know that everyone in the game gives him high marks because he is an exciting talent.