Mumbai: Ajinkya Rahane set to join Leicestershire in hopes to make India comeback

Former India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane is all set to begin his second County stint as he will be joining Leicestershire to play at least 8 games in the Championship, apart from the Royal London One-Day tournament.

The 34-year-old will join the County team in June this year after the conclusion of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2023) where he will be representing MS Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings, if he's included in their playing XI.

"I'm really happy to be joining Leicestershire for the upcoming season," Rahane said in a statement. "I can't wait to play alongside my new teammates and explore the vibrant city of Leicester."

Before this, Rahane previously had a stint in county with Hampshire in 2019 where he scored a century on County debut against Nottinghamshire.

Rahane's decline since 2020

The right-handed batter fell out of favour with the Indian selectors after a poor run of form in over the past two years.

Rahane, who last played for India in the Cape Town Test against South Africa in January last year, has seen his average drop drastically since the 2019-20 season. The lack of runs meant that he fell out of contention with the selectors as they lost patience with Rahane.

But a return could be possible if Rahane manages to find form in England and return to the Indian team.