After Pujara and Prithvi Shaw, now Umesh Yadav will also play county cricket, signed with Essex

Essex has signed up Indian fast bowler Umesh Yadav for the last three matches of the ongoing County Championship season. The 35-year-old Yadav has played 57 Tests, 75 ODIs, and nine T20Is for India, taking a total of 288 wickets.

He represented Middlesex in the County Championship season last year. Umesh has not played competitive cricket since featuring in the 2023 World Test Championship final against Australia at The Oval in June. Signing up for Essex means Umesh will be available for matches against Middlesex, Hampshire, and Northamptonshire on the county circuit.

"I'm really pleased to be joining Essex and I hope to make some valuable contribution to the team's success this year," Umesh said. On joining Essex, Umesh said, "I enjoyed playing in England last season with Middlesex, and it will be good to return and test myself in those conditions again, especially in the middle of the title race." Domestically, Umesh represents Vidarbha in the Ranji Trophy and Central Zone in the Duleep Trophy at the first-class level and has an overall red-ball bowling average of 29.49.

Apart from them, Cheteshwar Pujara and Jaydev Unadkat are playing for Sussex in Division Two of the County Championship. Essex are currently second in the Division One table with 166 points from 11 matches and are 17 points behind Surrey in the race for the county title.

Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said, “Umesh is a fantastic signing for us, and we all know what he will be able to bring to our attack at a crucial time in the season. He is very experienced and has taken wickets at the top level of the game for over a decade, so as well as contributing during our run-in, we expect him to pass on some of his knowledge to our young players.