India's top-order batter batter Ruturaj Gaikwad won't be joining Yorkshire for the ongoing County Championship Division One 2025. The club put out a statement on their social media handles citing "personal reasons" behind Gaikwad not taking the flight to England.
"The Yorkshire County Cricket Club can confirm that Ruturaj Gaikwad will no longer be joining the Club for the 2025 season due to personal reasons," the club said in a statement.
In addition to five County games, he was set to play in England's One-Day Domestic Cup as well. This is a huge blow for Jonny Bairstow-led Yorkshire who were trying to bolster their top-order.
"I'm excited to be joining up with Yorkshire for the rest of the English domestic season," Gaikwad had said last month. "It has always been a goal of mine to experience cricket in this country and there is no bigger club in England than Yorkshire.
"I know how important it is that I hit the ground running at what will be a crucial part of the season. We have some vital games in the County Championship and the One-Day Cup is a great opportunity to win some silverware."
Injured during IPL 2025, no chance on India A's England tour
Earlier this year, Gaikwad was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 due to an elbow injury. In his absence, MS Dhoni led Chennai Super Kings (CSK) for the remainder of the tournament.
After recovering from injury, Gaikwad was picked in India A's squad for two unofficial Tests against England Lions. However, he did not get to play in the Abhimanyu Easwaran side and returned home.
Gaikwad's next expected appearance in professional cricket
After pulling out of Yorkshire contract, Gaikwad is expected to be seen in action in India's domestic cricket circuit. The Ranji Trophy 2025-26 season is scheduled to begin on October 15.
Gaikwad's international career so far
The 28-year-old has not played for India since the tour of Zimbabwe. He made it to a second-string T20I side but did not retain his place. While he is yet to make his Test debut, he has played six ODIs and 23 T20Is. From six ODI innings, he has 115 runs at an average of 19.16, including a half-century. In T20Is, he has a good record with 633 runs from 20 innings at an average of 39.56. He has a century and four fifties in the format. His strike rate is 143.53. Despite a good T20I record, Gaikwad himself lower in the pecking order.