IND vs ENG 2021: Ravichandran Ashwin set to play County cricket for Surrey ahead of the England series

Surrey Cricket has announced on their Twitter handle that Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin will be playing for them ahead of the England Tests. Ashwin was pictured sporting the team's jersey in the post.

👋 Hi, @ashwinravi99!"It's my absolute privilege to play for Surrey"A live stream of Surrey's meeting with Somerset will be available at 11am BST on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/Oqf3kTZiwA

— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) July 10, 2021

Ashwin is all set to play in the County Championship starting July 11. He will be part of Surrey's team that will take on Somerset at the Oval. Ashwin is sacrificing his break to be better prepared for the England series. After the World Test Championship Final loss, the Indian team will be desperate to win this series.

"It's my absolute privilege to play for Surrey," said Ashwin in the video posted by Surrey Cricket. This is his third County stint. Ashwin previously played for Worcestershire in 2017 and Nottinghamshire in 2019. He had a brilliant 2019 season as he took 34 wickets at an average of 24.59.

📰 @ashwinravi99 has joined the Surrey squad for this week's @CountyChamp fixture with Somerset.A live stream will be available shortly before play begins at 11am on Sunday.

— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) July 10, 2021

Ravichandran Ashwin would be key to India's chances in England

Ashwin will be a force to be reckoned with in England, especially after his county stint. His international numbers in England have not been great. In the 2018 tour of England, he got only 11 wickets in the four games he played.

India v New Zealand - ICC World Test Championship Final: Reserve Day

However, he was excellent in the recently concluded World Test Championship final. Despite it being a pacer-friendly wicket, Ashwin claimed four out of the twelve wickets India got. He bowled with great control and gave no freebies to the New Zealand batsmen. His economy of under two in both innings is clear proof of the same.

Ashwin can add much-needed variety to the Indian attack with it likely to be dominated by pacers. He not only contributes with the ball, but his batting has also improved a lot.

He has taken 413 wickets in 78 Tests, he has also scored five Test hundreds. Ashwin himself would be desperate to improve his numbers in England. A good series for the spinner could definitely help India have a successful England tour this time around.