Rashid Khan puts career longevity over red-ball cricket, doubtful for India Test

Afghanistan all-rounder Rashid Khan expressed his unwillingness to play a large number of Test matches for his country in order to preserve his back so that he could lengthen his cricketing career. The leg spinner underwent back surgery after the ODI World Cup 2023 which is when his troubles began. The Afghan hastened his return to cricket, including playing Tests, which affected the health of his back.

In an interaction after Gujarat Titans' thrilling encounter against Delhi Capitals in which Rashid was declared the Player of the Match, the 27-year-old shed light on what his doctor advised him post his surgery. Despite the instruction to avoid playing Tests, the all-rounder went ahead and bowled 67 overs in a match against Zimbabwe which left his doctor aghast.

"Red-ball cricket is a little difficult because that was the first thing my doctor told me - ‘stay away from red-ball cricket'. I still went ahead and played. After the surgery, I played a game against Zimbabwe and bowled 67 overs, which was crazy. When he found out I had bowled 67 overs across two innings, he was shocked. He said, ‘you can’t do that to yourself’,” Rashid said as quoted by India Today.

When asked what his future plans vis-à-vis Test cricket are, Rashid sounded unhopeful. The right-armer clarified that he does not want to step away from Test cricket completely, but would only like to play just a single Test match a year. Rashid also stated that he had no particular goals in Test cricket and is aiming to keep himself fit for the ODI World Cup 2027.

“Red-ball cricket is something that looks a bit difficult for me. If it’s one Test a year, I will take that, but I don’t think I can manage more than that. I will try, but if I bowl a spell of 20–25 overs, I have to bowl the whole day if I’m in the team.

“In my last two Test matches, I bowled 126 overs, which is simply too much. I will take it easy and prepare myself for the World Cup. Imagine if something happens to my back during a Test match - I can’t play 100 Tests. There is no specific target for me in Test cricket,” Rashid added.

The question that arose from his above statement pointed towards whether Rashid would be available for the one-off Test against India in June this year to which the all-rounder indicated his disinclination.

"I have already played one (against India) before, so I will just take it easy and get myself ready for the (2027 ODI) World Cup," Rashid responded.

The Afghanistan star bowler has played six Tests only so far, picking up 45 wickets in 11 innings at an average of 20.44. On the batting front, the all-rounder does not boast a great record having just 154 runs from nine innings in his kitty.