Rashid Khan has played six Test matches in his international career, taking 45 wickets along the way.
Gujarat Titans (GT) spinner Rashid Khan revealed how playing Test cricket put his entire cricketing career in jeopardy. This comes after the Afghanistan superstar led GT to their maiden win of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season, beating the Delhi Capitals by one run.
Rashid has been struggling with a lower-back injury since 2023. Due to his troubles, his doctors advised him not to play the lengthened Test format and continue playing just white-ball cricket to prolong his career.
Despite the doctors’ advice, the 27-year-old still played against Zimbabwe in 2025, where he took an 11-wicket haul, including career-best figures of 7 for 66 in the second innings. Bowling lengthy spells could definitely cut short his successful white-ball career, particularly in T20s.
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“Red-ball cricket is a little difficult because that was the first thing my doctor told me: ‘Stay away from red-ball cricket. I still went ahead and played. After the surgery, I played a game against Zimbabwe and bowled 67 overs, which was crazy. The doctor told me, ‘If you don’t want to play cricket, you can keep playing red-ball cricket. He said it’s not going to help me and that I won’t be able to play for long,” Rashid Khan said to the reporters.
Rashid Khan has played six Test matches in his international career, taking 45 wickets along the way. He has taken three five-wicket hauls and three 10-fers in his short-lived career in the longest format of the game.
The spinner has stated that he will continue playing ODI cricket for Afghanistan and prepare for the 2027 World Cup. However, Test cricket will need to take a backseat for the betterment of his career.
“So yes, I will think about it. But ODI cricket, I really enjoy that format. I am in good shape to play ODIs for a longer period for Afghanistan. However, I want to be careful about how much I play and not put too much load on myself if I want to have a longer career. In my last two Test matches, I bowled 126 overs, which is simply too much. I will take it easy and prepare myself for the World Cup. Imagine if something happens to my back during a Test match, I can’t play 100 Tests. There is no specific target for me in Test cricket,” he added.
Rashid Khan returned to his brilliant best against DC, where he took three wickets whilst conceding just 17 from his quota of four overs. He bowled 10 dot balls to evetually be the difference-maker in a closely-fought encounter.
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