[Watch] Ajinkya Rahane hits the ground running with gym and nets sessions on Day 1 with Leicestershire
Indian batter Ajinkya Rahane has joined Leicestershire for his County stint and began his work out and nets session on Tuesday, July 23. The veteran cricketer will play the final five games of the 2024 County Championship Division Two and the entire One Day Cup.
Leicestershire are the One Day Cup champions, having defeated Hampshire by two runs in last year's final. They will begin their title defense against Nottinghamshire at home on July 24.
The 18-team tournament with 9 teams split into two groups will end with the grand finale on September 22.
Meanwhile, the Leicestershire Twitter handle shared a video of Rahane joining the team and doing his preparations at the gym and the nets as below:
As for the County Championship, Leicestershire are still in the hunt for a promotion to Division One next season. They are currently in fourth on the standings with 115 points in nine games.
Rahane and Leicestershire will begin their strectch run of five games to end the season from August 22. They will take on Gloucestershire in the first of their final five games and end their County Champsionship season against Derbyshire on September 29.
"All the lads are really good and welcoming" - Ajinkya Rahane
Ajinkya Rahane was delighted with the warm welcome he received upon joining with the Leicestershire squad.
The 36-year-old was to play for the county side last year but had to miss the season due to national commitments.
In an interview after joining Leicestershire today, Rahane said:
"First impression is wow. The team atmosphere what I heard about has been amazing. All the lads are really good and welcoming. Excited to play in front of all the fans. A big Indian community in Leicester so looking forward to doing well for them this season."
Rahane brings with him massive domestic experience of 17 years and over 26,000 runs across formats. He has also played 195 matches for India, including 85 Tests and over 100 white-ball games.
Rahane is no stranger to English conditions, having played 27 matches across formats with 1,283 runs and two centuries. He was last seen on the field playing for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the IPL earlier this year.