Explained: Why Rashid Khan, Afghanistan’s regular T20I captain, is not leading the side against India
Rashid Khan is part of Afghanistan’s T20I squad that will tour India for a three-match T20I series in January 2024: despite being regular captain, he won’t be leading the side.
Afghanistan announced a 19-member squad for their trip to India, where they will play three T20Is, in Mohali, Indore and Bengaluru.
The team will be led by Ibrahim Zadran and includes several experienced players in the squad, including Rashid Khan, who hasn’t played a T20I since July 2023.
In December 2022, Rashid was named Afghanistan’s T20I captain, getting reappointed to the role in place of Mohammad Nabi, who had stepped down following the 2022 T20 World Cup. Since then, he has been their T20I captain.
However, a back injury after the 2023 World Cup has kept him out of action. He was pulled out of the Big Bash League, with the Adelaide Strikers revealing that the back injury required a minor operation.
๐จ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐! ๐จ
AfghanAtalan Lineup revealed for the three-match T20I series against @BCCI. ๐คฉ
More ๐: https://t.co/hMGh4OY0Pf | #AfghanAtalan | #INDvAFG pic.twitter.com/DqBGmpcIh4
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) January 6, 2024
At the end of November, Rashid underwent the surgery and has been recovering since. He missed Afghanistan’s T20I series against UAE, where Zadran took over the reins and led them to a 2-1 victory.
For the T20I series against India, Rashid makes a return, but has not been named captain. As he is still recovering, the Afghanistan Cricket Board isn’t sure if he will be able to take part in any of the three matches. As a safer bet, they have stuck with Zadran as the leader.
A press release from the ACB, announcing the squad, read: “Rashid Khan, Afghanistanโs regular T20I Captain, has been included in the squad but might not feature in any game as he recovers from the back surgery he recently underwent. Meanwhile, Ibrahim Zadran, who led Afghanistan to a 2-1 series victory against the UAE in Sharjah, will continue to lead Afghanistan against India as well.”
Afghanistan, on their first ever T20I tour to India, will begin the series on January 11.
