Rashid khan has traveled with the team but won’t be playing in the series as he recovers from lower back surgery.
Rashid Khan, still recovering from the lower-back surgery that kept him out of the BBL and SA20, will not play in the three-match T20I series against India. Although Rashid traveled to Chandigarh with the team, Afghanistan’s captain Ibrahim Zadran said that he is not yet ready for the game.
“He is not totally fit, but is travelling with the team,” Ibrahim stated. “We’re hoping he recovers from his injury as fast as we anticipate. We will miss him in the series as he works with the doctor on his rehabilitation.
“Without Rashid khan, we will struggle because his experience is crucial to all of us, but this is cricket and you need to be ready for any kind of situation.”
Rashid missed Afghanistan’s most recent assignment, a 2-1 T20I series victory over the UAE at the beginning of the year, and hasn’t participated in a competitive match since the ODI World Cup in October and November. Afghanistan’s spin team in India will be composed of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad, and Sharafuddin Ashraf in lieu of Rashid.
Qais, who has assumed the role of legspinner for Afghanistan in Rashid’s absence, took the most wickets in the UAE series, claiming six at an economy rate of 6.70 and an average of 11.16.
Ibrahim was excited about playing India in a competitive series. “Playing against India on their home soil is a difficult task, but we came here to play well against them and show our skills,” he stated. “Our boys are playing terrific cricket and we have a lot of talented T20 players, so I’m sure they’ll perform well. We’ll play India in a fantastic series.”
In Mohali, the three-match T20I series gets underway on Thursday. January 14–17 will see the second and third Twenty20 Internationals held in Indore and Bangalore.
