Afghanistan cricket team star Rashid Khan has hinted that he is unlikely to play against India in the one-off Test that is scheduled to take place in June after IPL 2026. The veteran spinner, who went under the knife 3 after the ODI World Cup due to a back injury, last was seen in the red-ball format back in 2025 against Zimbabwe. Currently a part of the Gujarat Titans in the Indian Premier League (IPL 2026). Khan has clarified that he won’t be a part of the one-off Test against India based on the advice of his doctor.
No Rashid Khan for IND vs AFG Test
Speaking to reporters after GT’s win against DC in match number 14 of IPL 2026, Rashid revealed that his doctor had advised him to stay away from red-ball cricket following his surgery in order to prolong his career. Despite his doctor’s advice, the Afghanistan star took part in the Test against Zimbabwe in 2025, where he took 11 wickets after bowling 54 overs.
“Very tough question. It’s a little difficult in red ball, because that was the first thing which was told to me by the doctor, ‘You have to stay away from red ball.’ But I still played a Test against Zimbabwe. He [doctor] said ‘if you don’t want to play cricket, you keep playing the red ball format’,” Rashid said.
To date, Rashid has picked 45 wickets from the 6 Tests that he has featured in, and averages 20.44. However, he is better off as a bowler in the white-ball formats, and wants focus on the 2027 World Cup instead of the one-off Test against India at Mullanpur in June.
| Format | Mat | Wkts | Ave | Econ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 6 | 45 | 20.44 | 2.96 |
| ODIs | 117 | 210 | 19.65 | 4.20 |
| T20Is | 115 | 193 | 13.73 | 6.04 |
“ODIs, yes, I enjoy, and I’m in good shape to play ODIs for a longer period of time for Afghanistan, but just to be careful with how many I play, and not to put too much load on myself, to be careful if I want to play for a longer period of time,” he added.
Rashid on rushing back to Tests
Earlier in August 2025, Rashid explained that he had been advised not to rush back to the longest format of the game after his surgery.
“When I came back after surgery, I was told not to rush back to longer format that quickly, that isn’t going to be good for you. When I came after 8-9 months, I played Test cricket. I bowled 65 overs, and that really pushed my back a little bit. I felt I shouldn’t have been in whites, I mean, T20 is fine. At that time I didn’t realize, but later on I felt that I made a mistake,” Rashid Khan said.
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