Veteran India batter Ajinkya Rahane is set to play for the Leicestershire County club in division two, after the two-Test series against West Indies in the Caribbean, starting next month onwards.

Rahane, after a gap of 17-months, had made his comeback into the Indian team, as he appeared in the playing XI for the World Test Championship (WTC 2023) final against Australia and was the saving grace for the no.1 ranked Test side, scoring 89 and 46 runs in two innings.

Reports have stated that Ajinkya Rahane had inked a deal with Leicestershire in January and was supposed to play eight first class games and also the entire Royal London Cup (domestic 50 over competition) between June to September, after he finished the IPL 2023 where he played for eventual champions Chennai Super Kings.

However, the plans were shelved as Rahane did well for CSK in the IPL 2023 and as a reward, was included in the Indian squad for the WTC 2023 final.

“India will have to score 350-400 runs in the first innings in Test cricket”- Sourav Ganguly

"Ajinkya, after the two Tests in West Indies (which is supposed to end on July 24), is supposed to fly directly to England and join Leicestershire for the remainder of the season. He will play Royal London Cup in August and a possible four County games in September as he is unlikely to be a part of white ball scheme of things," a BCCI source told PTI.

Rahane had previously played county cricket for Hampshire in 2019.

This stint in English country cricket will also provide Rahane with valuable red-ball practice through the month of September, before he is back in India for the full-fledged Indian domestic season, followed by a tour of South Africa in December.

(PTI inputs)