Rashid Khan opens up about back surgery, will play 2023 World Cup with low fitness. cricket news

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

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo’s The Cricket Monthly, Rashid said that the doctor had asked him to go for surgery before the World Cup, but he delayed it in order to represent his country in the tournament. He decided to take some injections before the tournament.

“Even before the World Cup, the doctor told me that I would have to undergo surgery, but I postponed the decision because I wanted to play that tournament. He warned me that if I played, the back problem could become major, especially Considering that 50 overs, my workload would be quite high as I would have to play at least nine ODIs, they were afraid that I would need major surgery, but I told them that I would have to play in the World Cup so we decided. That I will take some injections before the tournament,” Rashid said.

Rashid said that after the big win over Pakistan, he celebrated and danced all night and did not behave as if he had any back problem.

“Our physio kept reminding me that I needed to be careful. The entire Afghanistan team was surprised to see me dancing and celebrating; they had never seen me in that kind of mood. That happiness was different because that celebration was seen all over the country. Was.” [Afghanistan],” He added.

However, when he woke up the next day, he was in complete pain and played the rest of the tournament on painkillers and low fitness. “I told the physio that I couldn’t walk properly. He stared at me a lot. I used painkillers to keep going, but in the last three matches of the World Cup, I was literally playing at 40 percent fitness. Was.” He said.

Rashid said that his back problem was affecting him a lot while bending and the pain was reaching his calves.

He said, “I couldn’t sleep. I could sometimes sleep only at four or five in the morning. The only way I could sleep was by taking sleeping pills and painkillers.”

He said he suffered pain in his hamstring during his team’s final three matches during the World Cup, forcing him to slide rather than walk.

“I wasn’t able to lift my legs properly. I started eating all my meals in my room. By the last match, the coach told me I didn’t need to play, but I said I could handle the pain.” Because when I was warmed up, I could run, dive and do all this, but after the game, I couldn’t move, ” he adds.

Rashid said that after the tournament he decided to undergo surgery. “The doctor told me, “This is your first MRI and it’s your second MRI since the World Cup, so you can see how big the disc bulge has gotten.” Honestly, I was nervous. This is my It was the first time I ever had surgery in my career,” he added.

The spinner revealed that his doctor had told him that a failed surgery could signal the end of his playing career, which left him stressed.

He said, “I had to sign that undertaking. I was under a lot of stress the whole night before the surgery. I didn’t tell my family that I was going to have surgery.”

Rashid said that the entire GT staff, including head coach Ashish Nehra, director of cricket Vikram Solanki and assistant coach Naeem Amin, supported him a lot during the surgery. He also revealed that he was not feeling any pain after the surgery, but he wanted to return to the game soon.

“Ashish Bhai, who had undergone several surgeries, talked to me a lot and told me not to worry. When I came out of the surgery, I did not feel any pain. I felt very relieved. However, the rehabilitation That was the hardest part. I really wanted to get back into the game and was missing it, in fact, I was part of the Afghanistan team for the T20 series in India in January this year because I wanted the feeling of being on the field. ” ,

Rashid revealed that during the last T20I against India, which included two Super Overs, he instinctively agreed to bat, despite the fact that he was not in the eleven.

“Finally, when I started playing again, being back on the field was one of the best feelings. I thank Naeem a lot because he helped me a lot during my rehabilitation when I was in the UK for about two months. He used to come early every day at 5-6 am and stay till late and help me in my recovery,” he added.

Rashid explained that the surgery has also affected his bowling, such as when bowling wrong, as he will need to use his back more and if there is even the slightest stiffness in his back it will scare him.

“That feeling continued during the series against Ireland, which Afghanistan played before the IPL, and then, as I said, in the first few games here (IPL),” he said.

The spinner spoke to the franchise’s video analyst Sandeep Raju about his problem and Raju told him that he was not able to hit his length as well as before.

“He also pointed out that my rong’un was ending up on the leg stump instead of the middle. That’s when I told him I wasn’t feeling it, because I wasn’t using my whole body. I was just using my fingers. There’s nothing wrong with my back, but the only fear I had was: What if the injury comes back?”

“Then, two days before the IPL match in Lucknow, I told him [Raju] I would spot bowl, which I did for about an hour. I must have bowled 14-15 overs in that session and there was no pressure on my back. I bowled again the next day on the eve of the match. That’s when I felt everything was fine,” he concluded.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)