Out-of-favour India batter Mayank Agarwal is set to embark on a new chapter in his cricketing journey, having signed a short-term deal with Yorkshire to play in the remainder of the 2025 County Championship season.
This marks the 34-year-old’s maiden appearance in English domestic cricket, and he is scheduled to feature in three matches before returning home for the upcoming 2025-26 Ranji Trophy season.
Mayank, whose last appearance in Indian colours came in 2022, will be hoping this overseas stint helps him regain form and make a case for national selection, even as the odds appear steep. He now joins a growing list of Indian cricketers participating in the County Championship this year — Khaleel Ahmed (Essex), Tilak Varma (Hampshire), Yuzvendra Chahal (Northants), Ishan Kishan (Notts), and Sai Kishore (Surrey). Fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat is also slated to join Sussex later this month.
The move comes at a time when Indian players are increasingly using English domestic cricket as a platform to sharpen their skills and remain in competitive form. The performances have been encouraging. Ishan Kishan has tallied 164 runs from just two matches at an impressive average of 82, including two half-centuries. Tilak Varma has stood out with 358 runs in four matches, including two centuries and a fifty. Among the bowlers, Chahal has claimed 12 wickets in three outings, Sai Kishore 11 in two, and Khaleel Ahmed has chipped in with four wickets.
For Agarwal, this opportunity is a potentially a final bid at resurrecting his international career. Having played 21 Tests for India and scored 1,488 runs, including four centuries, Mayank was once seen as a reliable top-order option. However, a prolonged dip in form between 2020 and 2021, including ten consecutive innings without a fifty, saw him replaced by rising stars like Shubman Gill and established players like Rohit Sharma.
Despite a brief resurgence in late 2021, where he smashed a hundred against New Zealand and followed it up with back-to-back fifties, his inconsistency returned, resulting in his omission from the national setup by 2023.
At 34, and with India’s Test lineup brimming with younger talent, a comeback remains a long shot. However, if Mayank can deliver strong performances in English conditions, it might just rekindle selectors’ interest or at the very least, ensure he remains a prominent figure in domestic cricket.
