R Ashwin set to play in County Championships

What's the story?

According to reports ESPNcricinfo, Indian spinner R Ashwin is set to travel to England to play County cricket after the completion of the ongoing Test series.

It has been confirmed that Ashwin will play for Worcestershire in the last few matches of the ongoing season. World no. 1 Test bowler Ravindra Jadeja could also be a part of the tournament as he is in talks with few teams, but it as yet unclear whom he will play for.

In all likelihood, Ashwin could be available for Worcestershire's match against Gloucestershire starting on August 28.

Sources close to R Ashwin neither confirmed nor denied the development and informed Sportskeeda that the final call will be taken only after the third Test between India and Sri Lanka gets over.

In case you didn't know...

Last week, it was reported that Ashwin is one of those who have been identified as an ideal candidate by Worcestershire with a view to playing the last few weeks of the English season and the club's director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, in an exclusive interview to ESPNcricinfo confirmed that Ravindra Jadeja is also of interest.

Details

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, along with some other regulars were rested for the upcoming ODI and T20I series against Sri Lanka that starts on August 20. While India play Sri Lanka in the ODI series, the rested names could turn out for few county teams to get used to the conditions.

Apart from Ashwin, Cheteshwar Pujara will also be a part of the County championships as he is all set to continue playing for the table toppers of second division Nottinghamshire after the conclusion of the Tests against Sri Lanka.

Pujara signed for the Notts earlier this season and has scored 223 runs in five innings including a match-winning century against Gloucestershire.

What's next?

After the limited-overs leg against Sri Lanka, India's next assignment will be the five ODIs and a one-off T20I against Australia starting on September 17.

If Ashwin is picked in the Indian squad for the series, he might play only two county matches before returning home to join the Indian team. If he is not, he could go on to play till the end of the season as his team is making a big push for a promotion to the first division.

Author's take

It is good to see the Indian cricketers make use of their breaks in a wise manner by playing in County championships in a bid to improve their game overseas.

The BCCI should also encourage the players to take part in County cricket as it will surely help them in getting used to the conditions and improve their game.