Ajinkya Rahane to play for Leicestershire in County Championship 2023 to revive Test career

Ajinkya Rahane has been out of the fray in Test cricket for nearly a year due to poor form. While Ranji Trophy has not helped his Test revival, he would play for Leicestershire in the 2023 County Championship to have another shot.

Image credit: PTI

Former Indian vice-captain and middle-order batter Ajinkya Rahane is not having the best time in the longest format, as he has been out of the Test fray for nearly a year. While he participated in the ongoing Ranji Trophy to revive his Test career, it has yet to be substantially effective. Thus, to push even further for the same, he has decided to participate in the County Championship 2023 and will play for Leicestershire. While he will play eight red-ball matches, he will be playing all games of the Royal London One-Day tournament. He is the third overseas player for the country after all-rounder Wiaan Mulder of South Africa and pacer Naveen-ul-Haq of Afghanistan.

Rahane would arrive for CC in June after his commitments with Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. "I'm delighted to be joining Leicestershire for the upcoming season. I can't wait to play alongside my new teammates and explore the vibrant city of Leicester," he announced in a statement, reports ESPNCricinfo.

Rahane's previous country stint was with Hampshire in 2019, when he scored a century on his debut against Nottinghamshire. His performance in Ranji has been laudable, as playing for Mumbai, he has accumulated 634 runs in seven fixtures at an average of 57.63, including a double ton.

Commenting on his signing, Leicestershire's director of cricket Claude Henderson framed, "I'm extremely excited to welcome Ajinkya to Leicestershire. He comes with a lot of experience and a tremendous work ethic. It's a great opportunity for us to tap into that. I had conversations with [Assistant Coach] Alfonso Thomas and [Head Coach] Paul Nixon, who had eyed Ajinkya in the past, so he was always on our radar. It was a case of seeing what the team needed: a senior overseas batsman, so we are delighted to have secured someone of Ajinkya's calibre."