Rashid Khan is currently in the middle of a strong IPL 2026 campaign with Gujarat Titans, picking up five wickets from three matches including a crucial 3 for 17 in four overs that helped GT beat Delhi Capitals by one run on Wednesday night.

But while the spotlight is firmly on the IPL right now, Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan used the post-match presentation to open up about something that has been reshaping his entire approach to cricket over the last two years, his back injury and what it has forced him to confront about his long-term future in the game.

The injury that changed everything for Afghanistan’s champion spinner

The story begins in 2023 when Rashid Khan was diagnosed with a serious back injury that threatened to derail his career entirely.

With the World Cup on the horizon he made the difficult decision to skip surgery and keep playing for Afghanistan, a choice he now acknowledges came at a significant cost. It diminished his bowling abilities and left him dealing with persistent pain that he simply managed rather than fixed.

The warning from Rashid Khan’s doctor was stark and unambiguous, if he kept playing red-ball cricket at the volume he had been, he would not be able to play cricket at all for much longer. It was the kind of conversation that forces a professional athlete to completely reframe their priorities.

What Rashid Khan said about red-ball cricket

Rashid Khan was remarkably candid about the extent to which he pushed himself against medical advice.

He played a Test against Zimbabwe in January 2025 despite being told not to, and the over count from that match tells you everything about why his doctor was so concerned. “I bowled 67 overs, which was crazy,” Rashid Khan admitted, acknowledging that when his doctor found out he was genuinely shocked.

The response was immediate and unambiguous, “No, you can’t do that to yourself.” Rashid also put the situation in a broader context that made complete sense when he explained it. “Imagine something happens to my back in a Test match. I can’t play 100 Test matches. If you’re playing one Test in a year, I can’t play for 100 years. And there is no target in Test cricket.”

For a player from a country that is still building its Test cricket identity and has limited WTC ambitions, the logic of protecting your body for the formats that matter most to your nation’s cricketing journey is hard to argue with.

The plan going forward for Gujarat Titans player

Since his Test debut in 2018 Rashid has played six matches, taking 45 wickets at an average of 20.44, remarkable numbers for a spinner operating at that level. But the plan going forward is clear and deliberate.

One Test per year, managed carefully, with no exceptions. He has already played his quota for this year against Zimbabwe and will not be playing Afghanistan’s next Test against India on June 6.

His focus beyond the IPL is on ODI cricket and the World Cup 2027, a format he says he genuinely enjoys and one that he believes his body can sustain for a longer period if he manages his workload intelligently. “Red-ball is something which looks a bit difficult for me to keep,” he said honestly, adding that the 154-plus overs he has bowled across his last two Tests is simply too much for a back that needs to last him many more years of white-ball cricket for Afghanistan.