Rashid Khan set to return from injury in Ireland T20Is

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan is all set to make his international comeback in the upcoming three-match T20I series against Ireland, which begins on March 15, after more than four months of injury-enforced layoff. He confirmed his return to training on Saturday (March 9), saying he can't wait to represent his country again.

Rashid was last seen in action during the 2023 World Cup. After the tournament, he decided to go through with a back surgery for a long-troubling injury. Since then, he has missed all international rubbers and a host of franchise competitions.

"The plan is to represent the country in the upcoming series and the training has been underway and today was the second day and thankfully it went well and I hope that the following few days will also be well so that I can wear the national jersey again and continue to do well for my country," Rashid told the Afghanistan Cricket Board in an interview.

"The last three months were difficult because I had surgery. I had been suffering from a back injury for the last seven to eight months and the doctor had asked me to have surgery even before the World Cup but I decided to play the World Cup and have surgery afterwards because it was such an important event for us but Alhamdulillah I am back on the field and feeling well now and now my focus is on returning to the field and bringing joy and success to the nation," he added.

Rashid's return augurs well for Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2024 as his importance in the team has only increased since Hardik Pandya's departure.

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"The good thing is most of our players will be playing IPL" - Rashid Khan

Seven other Afghan players, including Mujeeh ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi, will also participate in the IPL. Rashid feels that with the Ireland T20Is being the last before the 2024 T20 World Cup, the IPL is coming at the right time for his team.

"The good thing is most of our players will be playing IPL and it will be good preparation for the World Cup and we will also keep in touch with those who are not there (in the IPL) to continue working hard in this period," he said.

IPL 2024 will kick off on March 22.