IND vs WI: Ajinkya Rahane to play for Leicestershire after India tour of West Indies 2023

IND vs WI: Ajinkya Rahane to play for Leicestershire after India tour of West Indies 2023: Team India test mainstay batter Ajinkya Rahane has successfully signed a deal with the English county side Leicestershire to participate in division two after the completion of his national duties during the India tour of West Indies 2023.

Rahane will take part in the two-match test series against West Indies, which starts on July 12. The first IND vs WI test is slated to be held in Dominica while the second fixture of the red-ball series will be held in Trinidad, starting July 20.

Upon completion of his test duties, Rahane will fly to England to undertake his County duties, as he is unlikely to be part of India's white-ball squads. Rahane last featured in an ODI match in 2018 while his last T20I appearance dates back to 2016.

Notably, the Mumbai-based cricketer had signed a contract with Leicestershire, early this year, for the entire Royal London Cup and eight first-class games between June and September, however, his comeback in the Indian test side meant he had to terminate his contract with the English county.

Ajinkya Rahane, recently, made a successful comeback in the Indian test side following his rescuing innings of 89 and 46 in the two innings of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final 2023 against Australia. Rahane was one of the few players who actually showed intent and scored some runs for the team.

Meanwhile, Rahane will be excited to join his Leicestershire teammates after completing his national duties with team India.

"Ajinkya, after the two Tests in West Indies (which is supposed to end on July 24), is supposed to fly directly to England and join Leicestershire for the remainder of the season. He will play Royal London Cup in August and a possible four County games in September as he is unlikely to be a part of the white-ball scheme of things," a BCCI source said as quoted by NDTV.

This will be Rahane's second county championship stint after having played for Hampshire back in 2019 when he was dropped from the World Cup squad.

Ajinkya Rahane recently completed 5000 runs in test cricket during the ICC WTC Final against Australia. In 83 test appearances, the right-handed batter has amassed 5066 runs at an average of 38.97. His decorated test cap includes 12 centuries and 26 half-centuries.

While there are chances of senior players getting rested for the Test series against West Indies, Rahane is unlikely to be affected by the move. Being just active in one format, BCCI won't rest Ajinkya Rahane as he can be the leadership option in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

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For more details head to BCCI's official website.