Ajinkya Rahane to retain spot for West Indies Tests, will join Cheteshwar Pujara in County Championship later

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Senior India batter Ajinkya Rahane will be plying his trade for the English county side Leicestershire in Division Two, after the two-Test series against the West Indies next month. Cheteshwar Pujara also plays in the same division for Sussex.

Rahane, a former India captain, recently made a successful comeback to the Indian team during the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month.

Rahane had inked the deal with Leicestershire back 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 the completion of his IPL 2023 stint with Chennai Super Kings.

However, the plan had to be shelved since he made a comeback to the Indian Test team and couldn't join his county side immediately after the IPL was over. In the absence of injured Shreyas Iyer, Rahane is certain of retaining his spot.

Earlier, head coach Rahul Dravid had said Rahane could retain his spot despite the comeback of injured players if he performs well.

"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.

This will be Rahane's second county stint, having played for Hampshire in the 2019 season when he was dropped from the ODI World Cup side.

Rahane, who scored 89 in India's first innings and 46 in the second innings of the WTC final, also completed his 5000 runs during the course of the high-octane clash - his 83rd in Test cricket.

Further, Cheteshwar Pujara will continue to play for Sussex. The 35-year-old Saurashtra star is under the scanner for his poor run and reports have suggested that his spot in India's Test team for the West Indies series is up for debate. Like last year, Pujara will also feature in the Royal London Cup for Sussex.