Yorkshire CCC waiting to learn Joe Root’s four-day availability

The England Test captain has told the club that he would ideally like to play five Championship games between the conclusion of that tour and the three-match series against West Indies in June.

But director of cricket Martyn Moxon stressed that Yorkshire are taking nothing for granted until Root and the England management have discussed the issue.

The two-Test Sri Lanka series ends on March 31, with Yorkshire’s first game coming against Gloucestershire at Emerald Headingley on April 12 – the first of six Championship rounds before the West Indies Tests.

“I think it’s unlikely Joe will be available for the first game, to be honest, but we haven’t got any definite steer yet as to what games he will be available for, so it’s unknown,” said Moxon.

“He’s intimated that he’d like to play in five games in a conversation with Galey (Yorkshire first-team coach Andrew Gale), but he hasn’t discussed it with the England management so let’s not get carried away.

“I think it would be a maximum of five but I would suggest it’s probably going to be less in reality.

“It won’t be nailed down until nearer to the end of the Sri Lanka tour, when Joe will sit down with (coach) Chris Silverwood and the England management to discuss it.”

Yorkshire’s attitude is that any games for which Root is available is a bonus; ditto those played by his England team-mate Jonny Bairstow, who misses the start of the county season due to his involvement in the Indian Premier League.

Ravi Ashwin, the India spinner signed by Yorkshire as an overseas player, is also involved in the IPL tournament which runs from March 29 to May 24.

It is expected that Ashwin will make his debut against Lancashire at Scarborough in mid-June, and then stay at Yorkshire for the rest of the summer, giving him eight Championship games in total.

Keshav Maharaj, the South Africa spinner, will assume overseas duties for the first two Championship matches.

Yorkshire will lock horns with a familiar face in their opening game against Gloucestershire in the form of India batsman Cheteshwar Pujara.

Pujara has joined the First Division newcomers for their first six Championship fixtures and will make his Gloucestershire debut at Headingley, where he had spells in 2015 and 2018.

The 32-year-old played 18 games in all competitions during that time, scoring 806 runs at an average of 33. Although renowned as a defensive batsman and something of a throwback, Pujara had more success at Yorkshire in one-day cricket.

He averaged 52 in eight white-ball appearances and only 25 in 10 first-class matches.

“In the 50-over games Puj played for us he contributed really well,” said Moxon. “He didn’t score the volume of runs he would have expected to in Championship cricket, but there’s no doubting his quality.

“We will certainly need to try and get him out early; otherwise, once he gets in, he’s a very difficult man to dislodge. We know he is someone who can play long innings and accumulate runs, so hopefully we can nick him off early.”

Pujara, who averages just under 50 from 75 Tests, has also represented Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and will boost a Gloucestershire team coached by former Yorkshire player/coach Richard Dawson.

Yorkshire will be strongly fancied against opponents who nevertheless present a possible banana skin.

“Gloucestershire are very competitive, well-run and led by Daws, and they’re certainly not opponents you can take lightly,” said Moxon.

“They’re going to be massively up for Division One and they’re going to fight hard for 
everything.

“They’re the type of team that you’d expect with Daws, and we’re going to have to make sure we play to our capabilities to get the better of them.”

Commenting on his switch to Gloucestershire, Pujara, who sits seventh in the world Test batting rankings, said: “I am really excited to represent Gloucestershire.

“The club has a rich cricketing history and this is a great opportunity to be a part of it and contribute to its success.

“I am grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity and cannot wait to get to Bristol to meet my team-mates and score some runs.

“I have really enjoyed the experience of coming over to the UK and playing county cricket over the last few years, and I am looking forward to building on that whilst continuing to improve my game.”