Gloucestershire on Wednesday (February 19) announced the signing of India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for the first six games of the County Championship season.
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Pujara has become an integral part of India’s Test set-up ever since making his debut in 2010. The 32-year-old boasts an impressive average of 49.48 from 75 Tests and is currently ranked at the seventh spot in ICC's Test batting rankings.
“Welcome to Bristol @cheteshwar1 Gloucestershire Cricket is delighted to announce the signing of @BCCI batsman Cheteshwar Pujara for the first six matches of the County Championship!!” Gloucestershire broke the news with a tweet.
Elated with the deal, Pujara replied: “Looking forward.”
In a statement issued by the club, India’s Test No. 3 also said: "I am really excited to get the opportunity to represent Gloucestershire this season. The Club has a rich cricketing history, and this is a great opportunity to be a part of it and contribute to its success."
"I am grateful to the Club for giving me this opportunity and cannot wait to get to Bristol to meet my teammates and score some runs. I have really enjoyed the experience of coming over to the UK and playing county cricket over the last few years and I am looking forward to building on that whilst continuing to improve my game," he added.
Pujara, who has had county spells with Derbyshire (2014), Yorkshire (2015 and 2018) and Nottinghamshire (2017) in the past, will join up with the Gloucestershire squad ahead of their opening match at Yorkshire on April 12.
Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire head coach, said: "Cheteshwar is a player with great temperament who will add international experience to the squad. He is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in world cricket and we are very fortunate to have him in our squad for the start of the County Championship campaign.
"Adding Pujara to a strong batting line-up gives me great confidence ahead of our opening County Championship matches."
