Veteran India batsman Ajinkya Rahane, who was expected to feature for Leicestershire for the upcoming One-Day Cup, will now give a miss to the tournament as he has decided to take a short break from the game.
Rahane, 35, was scheduled to join Leicestershire in June but due to his participation in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against Australia and the subsequent Test series against West Indies meant that he couldn’t feature for the county side.
“With those involvements previously not factored into his schedule, the 35-year-old has now expressed his desire to take a break from cricket during August and September,” Leicestershire said in a statement.
Meanwhile, Australia batter Peter Handscomb, who has been part of the Leicestershire setup for the County Championship and the T20 Blast, will now remain with the team as Rahane’s replacement.
Handscomb, 32, has amassed 809 runs for the club so far this season, including 681 at an average of 45.4 in Division Two of the County Championship.
Claude Henderson, Leicestershire’s director of cricket, said: “Firstly, we are fully understanding of Ajinkya’s situation. He has experienced a hectic schedule in recent months, both in India and travelling with the national team, and we accept his wishes to recover and spend some time with his family.”
“We have been in constant communication with Ajinkya and accept how situations can change quickly in cricket. He is extremely grateful for our understanding and still hopes to play for Leicestershire one day.
Thankfully, we had planned for a situation like this, and we are delighted Peter is staying on with the team. He brings many qualities alongside his batting and wicket keeping, including strong leadership, which is a massive help to Lewis (Hill) and the rest of the guys in our changing room,” he added.