In frame: Cheteshwar Pujara, Kuldeep Yadav, Sachin Tendulkar (Source: yorkshireccc & AFP)
When Sachin Tendulkar, at 19, took centre stage for Yorkshire in 1992 as their first overseas player, he dominated cricket headlines. Such was the primacy of County cricket.
Decades later, Kuldeep Yadav is all set to play for the same county; it is a footnote. At 31, Kuldeep doesn’t mind entering an untamed territory. For him, a good showing could open up new avenues in red-ball cricket.
Yorkshire has long been associated with Indian cricket
These short spells in England work perfectly well for Indian players, either on the fringes of selection or discarded. These stints hold value over a quiet time at home in the monsoon or a holiday.
That being said, in this article, let’s take a look at the list of Indian cricketers who have represented Yorkshire across different formats and tournaments, including County cricket, The Vitality Blast, and the Metro Bank One Day Cup.
1) Sachin Tendulkar- 1992
The ‘God of cricket’, in 1992, 19-year-old Sachin Tendulkar became the first-ever overseas player and first non-Yorkshire-born cricketer to represent the Yorkshire County Cricket Club, breaking a long-standing club birth rule.
Sachin was recommended by Sunil Gavaskar to replace an injured Craig McDermott, and it eventually helped him learn English conditions.
He scored 1070 runs from 16 first-class games, but the county ended the season in 16th place. However, Tendulkar's presence in the dressing room had a positive impact.
"They are all better players for his presence," said the then coach Steve Oldham soon after he joined. "His confidence is infectious; they all want to bat with him."
2) Yuvraj Singh- 2003
Yuvraj joined Yorkshire in May 2003 as their second overseas player, becoming only the second Indian after Sachin Tendulkar to represent the county. His stint included historic appearances in the inaugural English domestic Twenty20 season.
Notably, the club has signed Yuvraj Singh as a replacement overseas player after injuries and unavailability hit their squad. He also wanted to gain crucial experience in English conditions to build his temperament for longer-format cricket.
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The left-handed batter scored 44 runs against Derbyshire on June 14, 2003, in what was the debut of professional T20 cricket, and followed it up with a 37-ball 71 against Leicestershire to record the first-ever T20 half-century by an Indian.
3) Cheteshwar Pujara- 2015, 2018
A former stalwart of the Indian Test team, Cheteshwar Pujara played for Yorkshire from 2015 to 2018. He compiled a total of 436 runs in 18 innings across the seasons. In the 18 innings (10 matches), Pujara scored only a fifty and a ton each. He averaged only 25.64.
However, this stood in stark contrast with an average of 29 in English conditions while playing in England for the Indian cricket team.
4) Mayank Agarwal- 2025
Mayank Agarwal, yet another talented batter eyeing a long-term opportunity in the Indian Test team, joined the club for a three-match stint in September 2025.
Notably, after getting out for a golden duck in his debut game, the discarded Indian batter produced a dazzling century for Yorkshire against Durham in the final round of the County Championship Division One at Headingley (Leeds).
Agarwal scored a magnificent 175 off 195, an innings featuring 20 fours and five sixes in what was the 19th hundred of his prolific first-class career.
While that was his first time batting in England, Agarwal has been on numerous tours to the country, including India’s tour of 2021-22 and the final of the ICC World Test Championship in June 2023, but never got the opportunity to play.
5) Kuldeep Yadav- 2026
India spinner Kuldeep Yadav joined English County side Yorkshire to play five one-day matches and three red-ball games. He now becomes the fifth Indian player set to represent Yorkshire.
Kuldeep will play the One-Day Cup games from July 24 to August 2 before joining India for their two-Test tour of Sri Lanka in August. He will then rejoin Yorkshire to play their final three County Championship matches of the season.
On joining the Club, Kuldeep said, “I’ve always enjoyed the challenge of playing in English conditions and after speaking with the management, I became really excited to join up with the team and I’m looking forward to making a positive contribution during my time at Headingly”.
Indeed, on merit, he stands tall as the best Indian spinner in modern-day cricket. However, Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team, favours playing an all-rounder rather than a full-time spinner. Thus, he has remained in and out of the team combination for a long time now.
Thus, Kuldeep Yadav is joining Yorkshire County Cricket Club to get regular playing time and test his skills in English conditions after being left out of India's playing eleven during their recent series.
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