India spinner Sai Kishore joins Surrey for two-match stint in County Championship

Surrey [UK], July 7 (ANI): Indian left-arm finger-spinner Sai Kishore has signed for Surrey in Division One of the County Championship. He will be available for the two first-class games at the end of July. The lanky left-arm spinner will feature in Surrey’s next two County Championship matches in which the Kookaburra ball will be used.

The fixtures include trips to Scarborough to square off against Yorkshire (July 22-25) and then to Chester-le-Street to face Durham (July 29-August 1). If Kishore is named in Surrey’s final XI against Yorkshire, he could come up against his former Chennai Super Kings teammate Ruturaj Gaikwad.

“I’m really excited to be joining Surrey for the next two County Championship matches. Surrey is one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and I have heard great things about the set-up from lots of different people in the game," Kishore said in a statement released by Surrey.

Alec Stewart, Surrey’s High-Performance advisor, said, “I’m delighted to bring the highly rated Sai Kishore into our squad for the next two Kookaburra games. All the reports I have received from people I respect in the Indian game have spoken highly of him. His four-day record for Tamil Nadu is very good, and he brings leadership experience to the group."

His upcoming stint will mark his first appearance in the County Championship. The 28-year-old, who has represented India in three T20Is, has been on a steady diet of the shortest format of cricket. He turned out to be the second-highest wicket-taker among spinners with 19 scalps in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) while featuring for the Gujarat Titans.

On Sunday, he captained his side, Tiruppur Tamizhans, to their maiden title win in the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) 2025. During his campaign in the IPL 2025, Kishore impressed New Zealand’s decorated spinner and former skipper Daniel Vettori.

“Sai Kishore has been the pick [of the spinners]. He’s been fantastic, and I think he was a guy we looked very closely at in the auction and wanted him in the team. He’s very brave, his ability to turn the ball and change his pace and angle from over and around the wicket," Vettori said at a press conference during the tournament.

“I think it sort of sets up a template for other spinners to see how you can actually compete and succeed, and he’s done it on good batting wickets as well. I know he came to Hyderabad and bowled exceptionally well. I think he’s been incredibly impressive," he added.

While Kishore has caught the attention of the world with his robust spells in the T20s, his red-ball numbers stand out as well. He has scythed 192 wickets in 46 first-class games at an average of 23.51 while maintaining an economy rate of 2.76. In the 2023-24 Ranji Trophy season, Kishore finished as the highest wicket-taker with 53 scalps in nine matches at 18.52. (ANI)

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