Ajinkya Rahane seeks permission from the BCCI to play county cricket for Hampshire

India’s Test vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane has requested the BCCI to grant him permission to play county cricket for Hampshire in the months of May, June and mid-July. With India playing the World Cup during this period of time, which Rahane is not a part of, the right-handed batsman is focusing on honing his skills as a Test batsman for the scheduled series against South Africa and Bangladesh.

Rahane has sent an application seeking permission to the board and the letter has also been forwarded to the Committee of Administration. The letter that has been forwarded by the CEO Rahul Johri to the CoA cites Rahane’s request to play for Hampshire in four-day games.

A senior BCCI official stated that there is no reason for Rahane’s request to be turned down. “There is no reason why Rahane wouldn’t be granted permission as the likes of Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara were also given the go-ahead. Also, Rahane isn’t a part of the World Cup team, so he won’t have any international commitment at that time. He wants to play four-day games and that should actually help him when he returns to play Test cricket for India after the showpiece event gets over in England and Wales,” the official said, reported IANS. 

Pujara, Kohli and Ishant have also played County cricket in recent times. Last year, Pujara played for Yorkshire during the IPL and had a good time there. The right-handed batsman spoke about the challenges one faces in the taxing English conditions and how it helped him to improve the game. 

“Playing county cricket means you prepare on wickets where every ball could be the last you face in an innings. The wickets are really challenging and I love challenges. County cricket has improved me as a player,” Pujara said.