Rashid Khan Says Ahmedabad Pitch Offers No Advantage Ahead of South Africa Clash

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan on Tuesday played down discussions around the Ahmedabad pitch ahead of his side’s T20 World Cup clash against South Africa, saying conditions are the same for both teams.

Rashid, who considers Ahmedabad a second home after spending four seasons with Gujarat Titans and set to play a fifth in 2026, said excessive focus on the surface distracts from skill execution. He has taken 23 wickets at the venue in IPL matches but has played only one ODI there, during the 2023 World Cup against South Africa.

"To be honest, no one around the world will tell you how the wicket will behave before the game. Everyone gives their point of view. Sometimes it becomes a 250 wicket, sometimes it becomes a 150 wicket. To put those things in the mind a lot, I think it affects you mentally as well," Rashid said.

"Nowadays, what I'm hearing a lot is the discussion about the wicket in the ground. We don't really discuss the skills that we have. And we bring those skills into the game."

The Afghanistan versus South Africa match will be played on a red soil pitch, which is expected to offer more bounce than turn. On paper, this could suit South Africa, who have six seamers in their squad. A black soil pitch would have favoured Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack. A mixed surface used earlier in the tournament produced a high-scoring game with minimal turn. That match was played at night with limited dew. The upcoming day game is expected to negate the dew factor. Former Gujarat Titans player David Miller described such conditions as "a bit slow and turn a little bit more during the day."

Rashid said familiarity with conditions does not translate into an advantage.

"If you're playing on the same wicket and the opposition team have also played here and know the conditions well, it's not going to be favouring us. It's equal for everyone," he said.

"Whoever takes the right decision at the right time in a pressure situation is going to be more successful."

Afghanistan enter the match under pressure after losing their opening game to New Zealand despite scoring 182. Head coach Jonathan Trott criticised the seamers, saying they "just didn't bowl well enough." Fazalhaq Farooqi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Ziaur Rahman bowled a combined 8.5 overs, conceded 98 runs and took one wicket. Changes to the bowling attack remain possible.

Rashid said discipline with line and length will be key.

"The line and the length we bowled gave them free shots, especially in the Powerplay. We could have kept it a little bit tight. On that wicket, which is not much help for the seamers or the spinners, you have to keep it very tight and hit the right area consistently," he said.

He praised offspinner Mujeeb ur Rahman, Afghanistan’s most economical bowler against New Zealand, and indicated wristspinner Noor Ahmed could be brought into the XI. Noor missed the previous match due to expected uneven bounce in Chennai and has not faced South Africa in a T20I, though he has played in the SA20 league.

Several Afghanistan players, including Rashid, Mujeeb and Sediqullah Atul, have featured in South Africa’s franchise T20 competition. Rashid said this familiarity helps younger players.

"Personally I've been playing for a long time and played with each and every one for a long time. It does help the youngsters who haven't played and give them the kind of idea of what's going to happen and what their mindset is."

Rashid, however, said franchise cricket cannot be compared with World Cups.

"If you play in the IPL, it's different. When you play in an ICC event, it's different. There is pressure when you play for your country so it's a different feeling," he said.

"You have to be always ready. And it's not that if a person has played a lot, he can't lose at all. You still have to bring your best game."

Afghanistan lost to South Africa in the 2024 World Cup semi-final, their first appearance in the last four. South Africa reached their maiden final but lost to India.