On Tuesday, Leicestershire County Cricket Club announced the signing of senior India batter Ajinkya Rahane for the 2023 season. Rahane will join the club in June after his IPL 2023 season with Chennai Super Kings concludes.
Leicestershire announced in an official statement that the right-hander batter will be available for County Championship and One Day Cup matches.
Apart from captaining the side in six Tests, the 34-year-old has played 82 Tests for India, scoring 4,931 runs at an average of 38.52. He has also played 90 One-Day Internationals, scoring 2,962 runs and averaging 35.26.
"I'm thrilled to be joining Leicestershire for the 2019 season. I can't wait to play with my new teammates and explore Leicester's vibrant city "Rahane stated.
Rahane, who last played a Test for India in January 2021, is one of only six Indians to have scored a century in each innings of a match, and he also holds the world record for the most catches in a Test match (eight vs Sri Lanka, 2015).
He previously played county cricket for Hampshire in 2019, where he scored a century on his debut against Nottinghamshire.
"I'm overjoyed to welcome Ajinkya to Leicestershire. He brings a wealth of experience as well as a strong work ethic. It's a fantastic opportunity for us to capitalise on that. I spoke with (Assistant Coach) Alfonso Thomas and (Head Coach) Paul Nixon, both of whom had previously expressed interest in Ajinkya, so he was always on our radar."
"We saw what the team needed, which was definitely a senior overseas batsman, so we are delighted to have secured someone of Ajinkya's calibre," said Claude Henderson, Leicestershire's Director of Cricket.
Rahane joins 2022 leading run-scorer, South Africa's Wiaan Mulder, who has re-signed for all three formats, and Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq, who has signed for a third consecutive Vitality T20 Blast campaign, as Leicestershire's latest overseas signing for 2023.
Leicestershire also announced a fourth international addition, who will play in the County Championship in Rahane's absence during April and May, who will be announced in the coming weeks.