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 hardships he faced as a result of playing the tournament with 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 represents 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 the doctor had told him before the World Cup that he needed to undergo surgery but he postponed it to represent his country in the tournament. He decided to take a few injections before the tournament.
“Even before the World Cup, the doctor had told me that I needed surgery, but I postponed the decision because I wanted to play that tournament. He warned me that the back problem could become worse if I played, especially considering that it so it was.” 50 overs, where my workload would be significantly high as I would be playing a minimum of nine ODIs. He feared I would need major surgery. But I told him that I had to play in the World Cup so we decided that I would take some injections before the tournament,” said Rashid.
Rashid said that after their big win over Pakistan, he partied and danced a lot all night and didn't behave like he had a problem.
“Our physio kept reminding me to be careful. The whole Afghan team was surprised to see me dancing and partying; they had never seen me in such a mood. That happiness was different because that jashn was in the whole country.” [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 physiotherapist that I couldn't walk properly. He looked at me so hard. I used painkillers to keep going, but in the last three games of the World Cup I literally played at 40 percent fitness.” he said.
Rashid said his back problems caused him a lot of pain when bending and the pain reached his shins.
“I couldn't sleep. Sometimes I wouldn't sleep until four or five in the morning. The only way I could sleep was by taking sleeping tablets and painkillers,” he said.
He said that during his side's last three games at the World Cup, his hamstrings were sore, forcing him to slide instead of walk.
“I couldn't lift my feet properly. I ate all my meals in my room. At the last game the coach told me I didn't have to play, but I said I could manage with painkillers. Because when I warmed up was, I didn't have any discomfort that I could run, dive and all that. But after the match I couldn't move for an hour,” he added.
Rashid said that after the tournament he decided to have surgery. “The doctor said to me: 'This is your first MRI and this is your second MRI, after the World Cup, so you can see how much bigger the disc bulge has become.' To be honest, I was nervous. It was my first ever surgery in my career,” he added.
The spinner revealed that his doctor revealed to him that a botched surgery could spell the end of his playing career, leaving him tense.
“I had to sign that promise. I was so tense the whole night before the operation. I didn't tell my family that I was having the operation,” he added.
Rashid said 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 operation. He also revealed that he was pain-free after surgery but wanted to get back into the game quickly.
“Ashish bhai, who had undergone many surgeries, talked to me a lot and told me not to worry. When I came out of surgery, I felt no pain. I felt so relieved. However, the rehabilitation part was the one I really wanted to start playing again and missed it. In fact, I was part of the Afghanistan squad for the T20 series in India in January this year because I wanted to feel like I was on the ground. .
Rashid revealed that during the last T20I against India, which involved two super overs, he was instinctively ready to bat despite not being in the eleventh.
“When I finally started playing again, it was one of the best feelings to be back on the field. I am very grateful to Naeem because he helped me a lot during my rehabilitation when I was in Great Britain for almost two months. He I came early every day at 5-6 in the morning and stayed late to help with my recovery,” he added.
Rashid said that the surgery has also affected his bowling as he would have to use his back more and it would scare him if there was even a little bit of stiffness in his back.
“That feeling continued through the series against Ireland, which Afghanistan played before the IPL, and then, as I said, the first few games here (the IPL),” he added.
The spinner spoke to the franchise's video analyst Sandeep Raju about his problem and Raju revealed to him that he was not trying as hard as before.
“He also pointed out that my mistake ended on the leg stump instead of the middle. Then I told him that I didn't get the feeling because I don't use my whole body. I just use the fingers.” There is nothing wrong with my back, but I just had this fear in my mind: what if the injury comes back again?
“Then, two days before the IPL match in Lucknow, I told him [Raju] I would go bowling, which I did for about an hour. I could have bowled maybe 14-15 overs in that session without any strain on my back. The next day I bowled again, on the eve of the match. Then I felt that everything was fine,” he concludes.
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