India’s Ajinkya Rahane has joined English county side Leicestershire for the second half of the ongoing season, the club announced on Thursday.
India star Ajinkya Rahane has joined English county side Leicestershire for the second half of the ongoing season, the club announced on Thursday. According to the terms of the agreement, he will participate in the Foxes’ remaining five County Championship games, as well as the One Day Cup, where they are the defending champions. The 36-year-old joins Leicestershire instead of Wiaan Mulder, who is scheduled to fly to the West Indies with South Africa in August.
Rahane has scored nearly 26,000 runs across three forms (First-Class, List-A, and T20), including 51 hundreds and an undefeated 265. He has scored over 8,000 runs for the ‘Men in Blue’, including 15 hundreds and a best hit of 188 in the 2016 New Zealand Test. “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.”
