'It is Time to Recharge my Body': Ajinkya Rahane Explains Decision to Skip County Stint
Rahane failed to live upto the expectations in the West Indies series. (Twitter)
Team India Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane, has recently disclosed his decision to withdraw from his county stint with Leicestershire, prioritizing an intense focus on enhancing his physical fitness. Rahane's current dedication is geared towards reaching his optimal performance level for Mumbai's forthcoming domestic season, scheduled to commence in October.
Rahane's initial plan to participate in the One-Day Cup was postponed due to his commitments to the Indian team. He represented India in the World Test Championship (WTC) final and a two-match Test series against the West Indies.
Reflecting on the past few months of his cricketing journey, Rahane shared his thoughts on his Instagram account, stating:
"The last 4 months have been gratifying and with the high intensity cricket that we have played it is now time to recuperate and recharge my body for the domestic season that lies ahead of us."
Rahane was reinstated into the national team for the WTC final, filling in for Shreyas Iyer, who was sidelined due to a back injury. In the summit clash, the right-handed batter contributed scores of 89 and 46 runs across the two innings.
Following his commendable performance in the WTC final, he was appointed to the role of vice-captain for the recently concluded two-match West Indies series.
In light of the absence of Test cricket for India until Boxing Day in December, Rahane is actively considering participation in Mumbai's upcoming season to accumulate essential match practice prior to the pivotal away Test series against South Africa in December.
He further elaborated: "Representing Mumbai at every stage possible has always been a matter of honour for me, and I will be working diligently on my fitness over the next 2 months to ensure I am at my prime for the impending domestic season, which begins in October. Consequently, I have chosen to opt out of the planned county stint with Leicestershire to prepare for the Indian domestic season."
Following lackluster displays in the Caribbean, Rahane finds his Test position in jeopardy anew. Consequently, with the return of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul for the upcoming Test series, one of them could potentially step in as a replacement for Rahane in the playing eleven.
 "Vaibhav Tripathi")
