Ajinkya Rahane joins Leicestershire for County Championship and Royal London Cup matches for 2023 season
Veteran Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane is set to represent the Leicestershire county team for eight red-ball matches and the entire Royal London Cup.
Rahane will join the team in June. Leicestershire confirmed the Indian Test batter's signing by sharing a post on social media on Tuesday, January 31. The 34-year-old is expected to play a major role for the side in the County Championship as well as the 50-over matches.
Leicestershire posted on their Twitter handle:
"Leicestershire CCC is thrilled to confirm the signing of India star @ajinkyarahane88 for the 2023 season. The former @BCCI captain will join in June for 8 County Championship matches and the entirety of the One Day Cup."
✍️ Leicestershire CCC is thrilled to confirm the signing of India star @ajinkyarahane88 for the 2023 season. 🇮🇳
The former @BCCI captain will join in June for 8 County Championship matches and the entirety of the One Day Cup. 🤩
Full story. 👇
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Ajinkya Rahane notably lost his place in India's Test team following a string of underwhelming performances with the bat. He was dropped from the side after the South Africa tour last year, where he aggregated 136 runs in three Test matches at an average of 22.66.
Ajinkya Rahane has been in impressive form in Ranji Trophy 2023
Rahane has impressed many with his batting exploits in the ongoing season of the Ranji Trophy 2023. The Mumbai captain has been of the top performers for his side in the domestic red-ball tournament this year.
After racking up 664 runs in 11 innings, Rahane is currently the leading run-getter for his team this season. He has hit two centuries along with two fifties and is averaging 57.63 in the competition.
A successful stint with Leicestershire could bring him back into the reckoning of national selectors. He might want to take inspiration from India's Test specialist Cheteshwar Pujara, who was able to make a comeback into the national side thanks to his impressive record with Sussex.
Ajinkya Rahane is also set to play for a new franchise in the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023). He was signed by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at his base price of ₹50 lakh at the IPL mini-auction in December last year.