Gujarat Titans have received a huge boost just before the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as their star spinner Rashid Khan is all set to make his much-awaited return to action. The leg-spinner has not played a competitive game since the match against South Africa on November 10 in the ODI World Cup last year. He was sidelined with a back injury and had to undergo surgery. He had to withdraw from the Big Bash League due to the surgery.
In January this year, he traveled to India with the Afghanistan squad for the three-match T20I series but was not deemed fit enough to return to action. While he was expected to return to action by February, his rehabilitation took longer. As a result, he had to pull out of the SA20 as well as the ongoing Pakistan Super League.
Following his lengthy stay on the sidelines, there were doubts over his participation in the early stages of IPL 2024. However, the Afghanistan star looks set to return to competitive cricket in the forthcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland, scheduled to be played from March 15. Both teams are currently involved in a three-match ODI series.
“The plan is to represent the country in the upcoming series and the training has been underway and today was the second day and thankfully it went well and I hope that the following few days will also be well so that I can wear the national jersey again and continue to do well for my country,” Rashid Khan was quoted in a VDO interview posted by Afghanistan Cricket Board on Saturday (March 9).
The last three months were difficult: Rashid Khan
Speaking further, Rashid Khan opened up on his time on the sidelines and stated that the last three months were difficult for him. He revealed that the doctor had asked him to undergo surgery before the ODI World Cup but he decided against it to play in the marquee event.
“The last three months were difficult because I had surgery. I had been suffering from a back injury for the last seven to eight months and the doctor had asked me to have surgery even before the World Cup but I decided to play the World Cup and have surgery afterwards because it was such an important event for us but Alhamdulillah I am back on the field and feeling well now and now my focus is on returning to the field and bringing joy and success to the nation.
“It was indeed very tough because undergoing surgery and then going through the recovery process is not easy because you need to focus on everything and you need to take care of your rehab and your training as it is a very slow process because you will gradually start walking first and then the gym workouts so those are very tough days.
“They are (tough) because it is more than just a surgery as it is returning to the field and being the same person you were when you left and it was a difficult period,” said Rashid Khan.
“The focus is always playing good cricket and doing well and we have played enough against Ireland and we hope to do well and perform well because it’s a great preparation for the upcoming T20 World Cup and so the focus is on making the most out of it and preparing well for that event.
“The next two months are very crucial for us we don’t have more games to play after these three games against Ireland and the focus will be to learn more from these games and the players can work hard during the last two to three months before the World Cup,” he added.
Rashid Khan also said that playing in the upcoming IPL season will help him as well as his Afghanistan teammates prepare for this year’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played in June.
“The good thing is most of our players will be playing IPL and it will be good preparation for the World Cup we will also keep in touch with those who are not there (in the IPL) to continue working hard in this period,” said Rashid Khan.
The highly-anticipated IPL 2024 is scheduled to be played from March 22. Gujarat Titans will open their campaign against Mumbai Indians on March 24.
