Former Indian captain Ajinkya Rahane will join Leicestershire for the second half of the ongoing county season, the club announced on Thursday. Ajinkya Rahane will represent them in their final five matches and will also be part of their One Day Cup campaign where Leicestershire are the defending champions.
Ajinkya Rahane Joins Leicestershire
Rahane was expected to join Leicestershire last summer but his international commitments turned things for the right-hander. The 36-year-old joins the County club as the cover for Wiaan Mulder who is expected to travel to West Indies with South Africa in August for a multi-format tour.
Ajinkya Rahane has an excellent record with bat, he scored more than 26,000 runs across formats(First-Class, List-A and T20) which also includes a whooping 51 centuries with a top score of an unbeaten 265.
For India, Rahane played 85 Tests, 90 ODIs, and 20 T20Is and scored 5077, 2962 and 375 runs respectively. He also secured 15 centuries across the format with a best of 188 against New Zealand in 2016.
Run-machine recruited ✅💯 pic.twitter.com/vYEvKxZ8QQ
— Leicestershire Foxes 🦊 (@leicsccc) June 27, 2024
“I’m really excited to have another opportunity to come to Leicestershire. I’ve built a strong rapport with Claude (Henderson) and Alfonso (Thomas), and I’m looking forward to playing for the Club this summer,” Rahane said in a club statement.
“I followed the team’s results last year and was very impressed with what I saw. I’m hoping to enjoy my cricket and contribute to more success for the Club this season.”
Rahane is expected to arrive in mid-July, with his first contest being away to Notts Outlaws in the One Day Cup on July 24.
“We are thrilled to welcome someone of Ajinkya’s quality to Leicestershire. It was unfortunate that Ajinkya’s schedule didn’t quite work with ours last year. But, it’s a massive boost to have secured his services for the business end of this season,” commented Leicestershire’s Director of Cricket, Claude Henderson.
“He holds immense experience and vital leadership qualities, which will be hugely beneficial to the team alongside his run-scoring ability. Ajinkya’s arrival also presents a fantastic opportunity for our batters to learn from one of the game’s best”, he added.
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