However, his career was cut short after three matches as he suffered a quadriceps injury during a One Day Cup match against Gloucestershire.

Umesh will be a contender to be included in the Essex squad for the remaining matches against Middlesex (home), Hampshire (home) and Northamptonshire (away).

I am delighted to join Essex and make what I hope will be a valuable contribution to the team’s success this year, he said in a press release issued by the club.

I enjoyed playing in England with Middlesex last season and it will be great to come back and test myself again in those conditions, especially in the midst of the title race. Umesh represented India in 57 Test matches, 75 ODIs and nine T20Is, scoring 288 international wickets.

The last time he played for India with the red ball was a couple of months ago in the ICC World Test final against Australia at The Oval, where he took two wickets for 131 in a defeat.

Speaking about Umesh, Essex head coach Anthony McGrath said, Umesh is a great acquisition for us and we all know what he can bring to our attack at a crucial time of the season. He has a wealth of experience and has been taking wickets at the highest level of the game for over a decade, so we hope he will not only contribute to our training but also pass on some of his wisdom to our younger players. Second-placed Essex’s next match is against Middlesex on September 4.