Ruturaj Gaikwad signs CSK jersey for a fan in England ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 Tests [In Pictures]

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad signed the franchise jersey presented by a fan in England ahead of the intra-squad fixture between India and India 'A'. The opening batter missed the majority of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign due to injury, but was included in the India 'A' squad for the England tour.

Gaikwad did not make it into the playing XI for the first two unofficial Tests that India 'A' played against the England Lions. The top order included the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Abhimanyu Easwaran, and Karun Nair, leaving no space for the CSK ace player.

However, he is likely to get a chance in the upcoming intra-squad clash as the entire Indian contingent have now assembled in England. Ahead of the match in Beckenham, Gaikwad signed a CSK jersey and also clicked some photos with fas that had assembled at the venue.

The batter is set for an extended stay in England after signing a short-term deal to represent Yorkshire for the County Championship and One-Day Cup. He is expected to play five red-ball fixtures while the List-A tournament is scheduled to begin from August 5 onwards.

Ruturaj Gaikwad's last competitive cricket outing came during CSK's loss to PBKS in IPL 2025

The star batter sustained the injury after being hit on the hand by a searing Jofra Archer delivery during the away loss to the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Guwahati. He was expected to miss the next couple of matches, but instead he played the fixtures against the Delhi Capitals (DC) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS), scoring only 5 and 1 respectively, before being ruled out.

In his absence, MS Dhoni took over the captaincy duties while CSK roped in Ayush Mhatre as an injury replacement. Despite some positives in the latter half of the season, the five-time champions finished bottom of the table after winning just four matches in total.

Gaikwad has a massive role to play in CSK's impending transition, a process which was already on show in the second half of the season through their replacement signings like Dewald Brevis, Urvil Patel, and Ayush Mhatre.