New Delhi: Champions are never eliminated easily. Rashid Khan Wednesday night offered a sharp reminder of that at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, which produced the magic of the old standard as Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals by a run in a high-scoring thriller.Doubts were swirling around Rashid for some time. That he was on the decline. These batsmen had decoded it. After two mediocre IPL seasons by his standards, the questions were understandable.Go beyond limits with our YouTube channel. Subscribe now!His numbers illustrated the decline. Rashid took nine wickets at an average of 57.1 in 15 matches for Gujarat Titans last season. Years ago was only slightly better. For a bowler who built his reputation on control, threat and conviction, it marked a clear decline.So when Rashid parried the initial question in the post-match chat, which was about last season. “Don’t miss me man, it was too bad,” he said, before revealing that his struggles over the past two years were linked to back surgery that delayed him from playing in the 2023 ODI World Cup.“I think I pushed myself too much in that World Cup and after that, it was really bad. I couldn’t walk after the tournament,” he added. This made his effort against Delhi Capitals even more remarkable.On a surface that offered little help to the bowlers, Rashid was the man to break the flow. He finished with 3/17 in four overs and held off the Capitals as the chase picked up pace. Introduced in the fifth over, he signaled his touch by first hitting KL Rahul with a leg break that went in and then spun.He then turned the game around in his third over. Nitish Rana failed to misread and mistimed Sai Sudharsan at long-off. The next ball was even better – a googly that completely fooled Sameer Rizvi and bowled him for a golden duck. Rashid was later removed. Akshar Patel That, too, left the Capitals off-balance in a chase they were controlling.Rashid said that after a long time I got such a wicket (of Rizvi). As a leg-spinner, you want that type of delivery, where you beat the batsman. I am very happy, it has given me a lot of confidence. I think I bowled well in the last two matches,” said Rashid.The leg-spinner credited his comeback to better fitness. “That surgery affected my bowling action, release and everything. After having a bad season (in 2025) I thought, ‘OK, what’s wrong now?’ I felt like it was full rhythm from start to finish.“I gave myself a few months off after the last IPL. I had a good hundred in the UK. I focused on my fitness. This is something I can improve on and allow my body to bowl with full rhythm,” he said.No test for now.Afghanistan have their only Test against India in the first week of June and it is highly unlikely that Rashid will feature. He said that the red ball seems a bit difficult for me. The first thing my doctor told me (after the surgery) was to stay away from it. I still bowled 67 overs against Zimbabwe which was crazy! I’ll take it easy. Imagine something happens to me in a test.
