Ashwin signs up to play for Worcestershire

India is scheduled to tour England next year and the experience that Ashwin gains, even if it is limited to some games, could come in handy.

R. Ashwin will play for Worcestershire this season. The India off-spinner, who was rested for the imminent ODI series against Sri Lanka, could play a few matches in his maiden county stint.

India is scheduled to tour England next year and the experience that Ashwin gains, even if it is limited to some games, could come in handy.

Besides Ashwin and Cheteshwar Pujara, who is already contracted with Nottinghamshire, Ishant Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja are also in the reckoning for county spots.

It is a development that selection committee chairman M. S. K. Prasad welcomed: “It is a blessing in disguise for both of them (Ashwin and Pujara) because we will have a full-fledged tour of England in June, when we will play five Tests. It is good to play and get a first hand feel of the conditions.”  The former India cricketer clarified that initially there was no certainty about the players’ county stints and the selectors went ahead with resting Ashwin and company, so that other players too get a berth in the ODI squad.

“To tell you the truth, it was about resting them first. The moment these players were rested, they then took the board's consent and gave confirmation to the counties,” Prasad said.