Rashid Khan has learned to think long-term. Even now, with another T20 World Cup around the corner and Afghanistan no longer viewed as outsiders, his mind drifts not just to the next tournament but to the years beyond it.

A short visit to the Red Bull High Performance Centre left an impression. Rashid didn't train there extensively, but seeing what elite preparation can look like was enough to reinforce what he already knows - that modern cricketers survive at the top only if they manage their bodies and minds with care. "For an athlete to go there, I think mentally and physically there are going to be a lot of changes," he says in an exclusive interview organised by Red Bull. "The facilities were amazing. Hopefully I can go there before the 2027 World Cup and spend some time."

That awareness has been sharpened by a period he admits did not go entirely to plan. Coming off surgery, Rashid rushed himself back into action and felt the effects during IPL 2025. "Last season you can say that I didn't give much of myself to be fully back," he says. "Sometimes you're trying to do different things and it doesn't help you. And I feel like I tried to do different things and it didn't help me. After the IPL, I got a couple of months off and then came back, had a great Hundred and then I played for Afghanistan in the Asia Cup, I got a five-fer for Afghanistan in ODIs, so that really did put me in the right mindset. I feel now I'm fully ok. My back is absolutely fine."

Rashid did take a break post IPL 2025 and that reset has influenced how he thinks about workload in an era where T20 cricket dominates the calendar. Rashid remains committed to playing all formats for Afghanistan, but with a caveat: the body comes first. "It depends on what the physio suggests," he explains. "It's just about how much I can play in a year and how much load I can put on. I don't want to be back in the same (position) as I was before.