Afghanistan’s star leg-spinner Rashid Khan is doubtful about his chances of featuring in the upcoming one-off Test against India in June, citing concerns over his back and the physical toll of red-ball cricket on his long-term career.
The Test, scheduled to be played in New Chandigarh from June 6-10 shortly after the conclusion of the ongoing IPL 2026, may see Rashid take a cautious call, especially given his history of back issues. Since Afghanistan’s debut Test against India in 2018, Rashid has featured in only six of the 12 matches the team has played in the format, with his most recent appearance coming against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in January 2025.
His limited participation in Tests has largely been influenced by workload management and a back surgery he underwent following the 2023 ODI World Cup.
Speaking after Gujarat Titans’ narrow one-run win over Delhi Capitals, Rashid admitted that he may need to carefully weigh his involvement in the longer format.
“I think I already played one before (against India in 2018 in Bengaluru). I will just take it easy. Imagine something happens to my back in a Test match. But I can’t play 100 Test matches. If you play one Test a year, you can’t play for 100 years!
“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. The doctor told me, ‘if you don’t want to play cricket, you can keep playing red-ball cricket’.
“He said it’s not going to help me and that I won’t be able to play for long. I still went ahead and played, but when he found out I had bowled 67 overs across two innings, he was shocked. He said, ‘you can’t do that to yourself,” said Rashid in the post-match press conference.
Rashid made it clear that while Test cricket presents a challenge, he remains fully committed to white-ball formats, particularly ODIs, which he believes are more sustainable for his body.
“So yes, I will think about it. But ODI cricket, I really enjoy (playing) that format. I am in good shape to play ODIs for a longer period for Afghanistan. However, I want to be careful about how much I play and not put too much load on myself if I want to have a longer career.
“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 167 overs, which is simply too much. I will take it easy and prepare myself for the World Cup,” he added.