Five Indian cricketers who should play County Cricket
After the completion of the Test series against Sri Lanka, off-spinner R Ashwin and batsman Cheteshwar Pujara will travel to England to take part in the last few rounds of the 2017 County Championship.
Before the start of the season, Pujara inked a deal to turn up for Nottinghamshire and played a few matches before joining the Indian team for the Sri Lanka series while Ashwin has agreed to play for Worcestershire in the last few rounds.
Also read: R Ashwin set to play in County Championships
World no. 1 Test bowler Ravindra Jadeja could also be a part of the tournament as he is currently holding talks with a few teams, but it is still unclear whom he will play for.
With India set to tour overseas (outside Asia) where the Indian players have struggled to produce results in the past, it won't be a bad idea if few regulars from the Indian side head to England and play County Cricket.
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 improving their game.
Let us take a look at five players who need County Cricket to improve their game away from home.
NOTE: The list does not include the likes of Pujara, Ashwin and Jadeja (likely) as they are set to feature over the next few weeks.
KL Rahul
Opener KL Rahul announced his arrival in international cricket by scoring a brilliant century against Australia at the SCG in 2015. Since then, he is yet to play outside Asia against a top Test team.
In the mean time, he has sealed his spot on the side, thanks to some consistent performances in the last year and a half. He averages 45 after his first 18 matches and has scored eight fifties and four hundreds.
Although most of his runs have come either at home or against weaker opposition away from home, Rahul has shown that he has the temperament and skill to succeed in the longer formats. With India set to tour South Africa, England and Australia in the next year and a half, Rahul is certain to open the innings for Virat Kohli's men in those series.
Also read: KL Rahul equals the record for most consecutive 50 plus scores
Without any match experience, barring a couple of two-day warm-up matches against local teams before the start of the series, it will be difficult for the Karnataka batsman to get going against some world-class bowlers in conditions that are alien to the Indian cricketers.
To avoid this, a brief stint with one of the County teams will help Rahul get used to the conditions and improve his game before the team start touring overseas.