INDIAN all-rounder Ravi Ashwin will join Worcestershire for their final four Specsavers County Championship games in a major coup for the New Road side.
Ashwin, ranked the number three Test bowler in the world and number two all-rounder, will link up with the county the overseas replacement for the injured John Hastings.
He will be the first Indian player to play for Worcestershire since Zaheer Khan resurrected his international career after a superb season at New Road in 2006.
The all-rounder has taken 286 wickets in 51 tests, including five wickets in an innings on 26 occasions, 150 ODI wickets and 52 in T20I cricket.
Ashwin also is a force with the bat with 2,004 Test runs at an average of 32.85 with four centuries and 11 fifties and was an opening batsman before turning to off-spin.
Pears director of cricket Steve Rhodes said: “Ravi is a fantastic international cricketer who is currently in terrific form with his game.”
“He is a wonderful all-rounder who can bat six and scores hundreds in test cricket.
“It is a really important last few games in the Championship and to have someone of his class is a huge boost for the club.
“The good thing about Ravi is he has been successful on all types of pitches in all sorts of different countries. He is a class bowler who will bowl well here.”
“It is unlucky for John Hastings with his injury but Ravi is a wonderful cricketer for us to have at a crucial point in our season.”
He made his test debut against the West Indies in 2011 at Delhi and picked up nine wickets and became the fastest Indian player to 100 Test wickets.
Both Ashwin and countryman Cheteshwar Pujara will be arriving in England following a successful 3-0 series victory for India in Sri Lanka after not being selected for the one-day series.
And the pair are set to clash at Trent Bridge on September 6 when the Pears tackle runaway leaders Nottinghamshire.
Ashwin picked up six wickets in the third test which saw India victorius by 171 runs and the all-rounder finish with 17 scalps in the series at an average of 25.88
Ashwin also features regularly in the IPL and has played for Chennai Super Kings and Rising Pune Super Giants.