Ajinkya Rahane, who captained India on occasions, will also be involved in the club's County Championship run-in
Leicestershire are belatedly set to see Ajinkya Rahane in action a year after first signing the former India captain.
Rahane, who will arrive in mid-July, had been due to represent the county in 2023, only for the batter to earn an international recall for the World Test Championship final.
This time, he is set to feature in the Metro Bank One-Day Cup – of which Leicestershire are holders – and for five County Championship matches in the red-ball run-in, with Leicestershire hoping to push for promotion from a congested second division.
He is set to replace Wiaan Mulder, the South African allrounder, who is expected to tour the Caribbean with his country through August.
Rahane's signature is a major coup for Leicestershire, and he won't be the only India international involved in the final throes of the summer. Prithvi Shaw has returned to Northamptonshire for a second stint at Wantage Road, while Sussex have Jaydev Unadkat returning in September. Sai Sudharsan has re-signed for Surrey on a short-term deal.
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Ajinkya Rahane was meant to join Leicestershire last year (Glyn Kirk/AFP via Getty Images)
"I've built a strong rapport with Claude (Henderson) and Alfonso (Thomas), and I'm looking forward to playing for the club this summer," said Rahane, who added that he had "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".
Henderson, Leicestershire's director of cricket, added: "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.
"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."
Rahane, who has been capped 195 times by India, joins Australia batter Peter Handscomb in the club's overseas stable.
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