Rashid Khan Opens Up About Back Surgery, Playing 2023 World Cup At Low Fitness

Gujarat Titans' (GT) ace spinner Rashid Khan opened up on Wednesday about undergoing back surgery following the ICC Cricket World Cup last year and the hardships he faced due to playing the tournament at low fitness levels. Following the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India, in which Afghanistan finished sixth, Rashid took some time off from the game to undergo back surgery and returned to the game during a T20I series against Ireland in March this year. Now, he is representing Gujarat Titans (GT) in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he has taken eight wickets and scored 102 runs for his side at an average of 20.40 so far.

Speaking to ESPNCricinfo's The Cricket Monthly, Rashid said that before the World Cup, the doctor had told him to go for surgery, but he delayed it to represent his country in the tournament. He decided to take a couple of injections before the tournament.

"Even before the World Cup, the doctor had told me I had to go for surgery, but I deferred the decision since I wanted to play that tournament. He warned me the back issue could become bigger in case I played, especially considering it was 50 overs, where my workload would be significantly large because I would play a minimum of nine ODIs. He feared I would need a major surgery. But I told him I had to play in the World Cup. I cannot say no to the World Cup. So we decided I would take a couple of injections before the tournament," said Rashid.

Rashid said that following their big win over Pakistan, he celebrated and danced a lot all night and did not behave as if he had a back issue.

"Our physio kept reminding me I needed to be careful. The entire Afghanistan squad was surprised to see me dancing and celebrating; they had never seen me in that kind