Gujarat Titans spinner Rashid Khan made a candid admission about his recovery process after a back injury, revealing that inconsistent rehabilitation played a major role in his struggles before regaining rhythm in IPL 2026.
Rashid played a key role in Gujarat Titans' four-wicket win over defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Ahmedabad, delivering tight spells during the middle overs to control the run flow.
Speaking on JioHotstar's 'Google Search AI Mode Match Centre Live', Rashid reflected on the lessons learned during his recovery period.
"It was a back injury and, given the energy I bowl with in my action and run-up, I needed to work consistently on my fitness after that injury, which, to be honest, I did not do. My rehab did not go
as well as it should have. I only had about two to two-and-a-half months to get back on the field and, since those were Afghanistan matches, I had to play. The second big mistake I made was playing a Test match, where I bowled around 67 overs, after which I felt the injury again. So, after the IPL last year, I wanted to give myself and my body more time to recover properly, complete my rehab, and regain the energy and intensity that I bowl with. It is all going well now and, hopefully, it continues. "
Rashid Khan focused on accuracy and economy against RCB
Rashid emphasised that his approach against Royal Challengers Bengaluru revolved around maintaining control and reducing errors, particularly during the middle overs where matches are often decided.
"The most important thing for me was to bowl in the right areas. It was important for the team that I maintained a good economy, especially in the middle overs. Whenever I conceded runs, it was because I had bowled bad balls. So, that was on my mind. If I could minimise the percentage of those as much as possible, it would benefit me. My focus was to consistently hit the 5 to 5.5-metre length, which really helped me. "
His disciplined spell played a crucial role in restricting RCB's scoring rate and setting up Gujarat Titans' successful chase.
Rashid Khan addresses Gujarat Titans' middle-order concerns
Despite the win, Rashid acknowledged that every IPL team faces challenges in certain departments, but insisted that focusing on solutions rather than weaknesses is key to long-term success.
"In a competition like the IPL, every team will have a weakness in some department, whether it is bowling, the middle order, or the top order. We try, as much as possible, not to focus on that. Whoever gets the responsibility in the middle, including myself, should aim to score 15-20 runs if I have five to 10 balls to play. That is extremely important because if we keep thinking that our middle order is weak or that the top order failing will put us in trouble, we lose our focus. If you look at some other teams in the competition, they do not have a bowling line-up of the calibre that we do. So, our focus is to restrict the opposition batters to low scores and make things easier for our batters. "
GT continue momentum after strong win
With Rashid finding rhythm and the bowling unit delivering under pressure, Gujarat Titans will look to build momentum as the tournament progresses, especially with crucial matches approaching in the second half of the season.
