Middlesex have signed Indian Test spinner Jayant Yadav for the last four LV= Insurance County Championship matches of the season.

The Delhi-born, right-arm off spinner will join Middlesex later this week and be available to play in the first of those four crucial encounters against Essex at Chelmsford on Monday and then in the three-remaining red-ball games of the season.

Yadav, 33, has played six Test matches for his country, taking 16 wickets in the process, at an average of 29.06, with best bowling of 4-49. With the bat he has a highest Test score of 104, averaging 31 in nine Test innings.

In his first-class career he has played 75 times, picking up an impressive 205 wickets, with best bowling figures of 7-58 and he has hit three first-class hundreds.

Last year he made two appearances for Warwickshire in the LV= Insurance County Championship after the Birmingham-based side secured his services for their end of season run-in.

He played against Somerset at Edgbaston, taking three wickets in the match, and then against Gloucestershire in Bristol, where he took 5-90 in the first innings and 4-47 in the second to finish with match figures of 9-137.

“I am honoured and excited to join the prestigious Middlesex County Cricket Club for the upcoming Championship games and be a part of its rich cricketing history," he said.

“I enjoyed my experience of playing county cricket last year and am eagerly looking forward to the new stint with Middlesex and contributing to the Club's success.”

Middlesex’s Director of Cricket Alan Coleman added: "With Pieter Malan returning home to South Africa we wanted to bolster the squad with another quality signing ahead of four crucial matches in September.

“We feel that spin will be an important factor in September and the opportunity to sign an international spinner of Jayant’s quality was too good an opportunity to turn down.

“He brings us that extra bit of something you get from an international cricketer, experience, quality, know how – all attributes that will prove hugely valuable to us in the coming games.

“We can’t wait to have him with us and wish him every success here over the coming month.”