Made a mistake by rushing back to playing cricket after back surgery, admits Rashid Khan

New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Afghanistan’s premier leg-spinner Rashid Khan admitted that he made a mistake by returning to cricketing action too quickly after his back surgery, which happened shortly after the 2023 ODI World Cup.

After having a difficult IPL 2025 campaign, where he conceded 33 sixes while playing for Gujarat Titans (GT), Rashid took two months off and returned to action with a match-wining 3-11 in defending champions Oval Invincibles' win over London Spirit in their first game of The Hundred at Lord's.

"After IPL, I needed the kind of break where my body gets back to normal. I worked a little bit on my strength. And especially coming back from back surgery, I hadn't had much time to rehab properly. That's where I did a bit of mistake to restart my cricket so quickly at that time."

"And I feel like I didn't let myself properly recover, and I pushed it a little bit at that time, and I can see the disadvantage of that now. But after IPL (2025), I felt like I needed that kind of two months off where I can just focus on my fitness," Rashid was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo on Saturday.

Rashid led Afghanistan to the semi-finals of 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, before back and hamstring injuries forced him to miss the BBL and PSL. He returned in January 2025 for the second Test against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, and picking 11 wickets in 55 overs to be named Player of the Match. But the physical toll of that effort was apparent in his not-so memorable campaigns in Champions Trophy and IPL 2025.

"When I came back to cricket after surgery, I was told not to rush back in the longer formats (Tests and ODIs) that quickly as that was not going to help me. About eight to nine months after I had started to play post surgery, I bowled 65 (55) overs in the Bulawayo Test. That really pushed my back a little bit, and I felt it at that time. I shouldn't have been in whites (to play Tests)."

"In T20s, it's fine - you can manage yourself - but for the longer formats, I was advised that you should be away from that format for some time. That is the kind of mistake I have made. But the team needed that. At that time, we had lost a few games in Test cricket, but that's something where I rushed myself a little bit, and I didn't give myself time and I felt it later on.”

After IPL 2025 was over, Rashid withdrew from the MLC in USA, where he was to turn out for MI New York, to focus on recovery, and doing strength training for his lower back in the gym. He also did spot bowling two or three times a week, with some batting practice. Off the field, the legspinner, who got married in October last year, spent time relaxing with his family.

"After IPL finished, for three weeks, I didn't touch the ball. I spent most of my time with my family, (and) my nephews - going around with them, (and) had fun - just to take all those memories and stuff and bad days out of my mind, and then restart with the cricket. That's what I did just to be refreshed, and then got back on track and got back bowling in the right spot," he concluded.

--IANS

nr/