Rashid Khan to miss Afghanistan vs India T20I series

In Rashid’s absence, the spin department will be spearheaded by Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, while Mohammed Nabi will also be available for selection.

File image of Rashid Khan. | Photo Credit: PTI

Rashid Khan will be missing out on the three-match T20I series against India, beginning here on Thursday.

The 25-year-old, who underwent a lower-back surgery a couple of months ago, travelled to Chandigarh with the team and even rolled his arm in the training sessions over the last couple of days, but on the eve of the series opener, Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran confirmed that the star spinner is recovering and will take a bit of time before he is available for selection.

“He is not totally fit, but is travelling with the team,” Zadran said. “We hope that he gets fit as soon as we expect him to. He’s doing his rehab with the doctor, and we will miss him in the series…”

The captain, however, believed that even without Rashid, there’s enough firepower in his team. “Without Rashid, there are a few players that we have trust in. I can say, they will play good cricket,” Zadran said. “Others have also played a lot of cricket and I am sure they will perform well. Without Rashid, 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…”

In Rashid’s absence, the spin department will be spearheaded by Noor Ahmad and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, while the ‘most experienced’ Mohammed Nabi will also be available for selection.

“Nabi is the most senior guy in our team and he should play. He has lots of experience,” Zadran said.

Back in 2018, Afghanistan made its Test debut against India and thereafter, the two teams have not met for a bilateral series, and the players are excited to prove their mettle against a strong Indian team, featuring Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli.

“Playing against India on their home soil is a difficult task, but we came here to play well against them and show our skills. We have lots of good T20 players, all our boys are playing good cricket, so I am sure they will play well. We will have a good series against India,” Zadran said.

Despite the cold conditions, the captain believes that dew won’t play a factor. “It’s cold and we have been training for the last two days and there was no due…” he said.

The Punjab Cricket Association has been spraying anti-dew chemicals for the last couple of days to make sure there’s a competitive game in the offing.