Rashid Khan will not feature in the three-match T20I series against India as he continues his recovery from the lower-back surgery that has forced him out of the BBL and the SA20. Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran confirmed that Rashid had travelled with the team to Chandigarh but is not yet match-fit.

“He is not totally fit, but is travelling with the team,” Ibrahim said. “We hope that he gets fit as soon as we expect him to. He’s doing his rehab with the doctor, and we will miss him in the series.

“Without Rashid, we will struggle but not that much because his experience is very important for all of us, but this is cricket and you should be ready for any kind of situation.”

Rashid has not played a competitive game since the ODI World Cup in October-November, and missed Afghanistan’s most recent assignment, a 2-1 T20I series win over UAE at the turn of the year. In Rashid’s absence, Afghanistan’s spin workload in India will be shared between Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad and Sharafuddin Ashraf.

Qais, who has taken on Afghanistan’s legspin mantle in Rashid’s absence, was the leading wicket-taker in the UAE series with six wickets at an average of 11.16 and an economy rate of 6.70.

Ibrahim looked forward to a competitive series against India. “Playing against India on their home soil is a difficult task, but we came here to play well against them and show our skills,” he said. “We have lots of good T20 players, all our boys are playing good cricket, so I am sure they will play well. We will have a good series against India.”

The three-match T20I series begins on Thursday in Mohali. Indore and Bangalore will host the second and third T20Is on January 14 and 17.