A back injury has forced premier Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan to consider calling off his red-ball career, as he looks to focus on white-ball cricket, a format he has mastered. The recent decision from the Titans spinner has left his fans shell-shocked.
Rashid Khan has made a shocking revelation following his match-winning spell against the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026. It has been known to all that the Afghan spinner suffers from a chronic lower back injury and underwent surgery after the 2023 World Cup in India.
He returned to competitive cricket in 2024 and has been making consecutive appearances for several franchise teams across global T20 leagues. He also features in all three formats for Afghanistan and has captained them in ICC tournaments, thus resulting in further stiffness in his back and his untimely withdrawal from one of the formats.
Afghanistan are not among the major Test-playing nations, nor is it part of the World Test Championship. They became a Test-playing nation in 2018, playing their first-ever Test against India.
Despite this low Test schedule, Afghan veteran spinner Rashid Khan has struggled to participate in the format. He has reportedly claimed that he might not be playing any further red-ball games for his country. The slight hint was dropped by the star spinner following the spectacular win over the Delhi Capitals in IPL 2026.
Ever since Afghanistan became a Test-playing nation, they have featured in 12 Tests, while Rashid, their most valuable asset, has played just 6 of them. Rashid revealed that his doctor had long advised him to give up on red-ball cricket if he wished to continue playing the game over a long period of time.
“Red-ball cricket is a little difficult because that was the first thing my doctor told me — ‘stay away from red-ball cricket’,” Rashid said.
Rashid to prioritize white-ball cricket in quest for a long career
Rashid Khan revealed that he ignored the doctor's warning and played Test cricket soon after his surgery in the United Kingdom, and that has escalated his concerns.
“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," he added.
Rashid Khan revealed that he intends to play white-ball cricket for the maximum period of time possible, including both the formats he loves to feature in, the One-Day and T20 formats. India is scheduled to host Afghanistan in 2026 for a One-Day series and Rashid is likely to be part of the squad.
“So yes, I will think about it. But ODI cricket — I really enjoy 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," he added.
Rashid Khan might not play the one-off Test against India
India are also supposed to play a one-off Test match in New Chandigarh against Afghanistan in June 2026; however, Rashid Khan's claims mean that he won't be part of that squad. However, he also put forward that he is willing to feature if it's just one Test in a year.
“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,” he said.
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