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.

"That's something which you need to think about and look into very carefully. I will play all the formats for Afghanistan but it's just about how you manage yourself. You don't want to play each and every game all around the world, every league. So you have to be very selective with this and give yourself the best time to recover and to get ready for the next competition."

For nearly a decade, Rashid has also carried something heavier than physical load - the expectations of a cricketing nation. He dismisses the idea that the weight feels different now, even if Afghanistan's status has changed. "You have to bring your best game," he says. "You try to keep things simple, you do your best and you give 100% on the ground. I feel like it's not just about the result, It's about the process you go through and the mindset and the effort you put in the ground. That's something which makes things easier. Once you're inside the field, you don't really think about expectations."

That philosophy has helped him navigate leadership as well. Appointed captain at a young age, Rashid stepped away from the role before returning to lead Afghanistan's T20 side with greater maturity. "For me, it's not something where I'm thinking 'okay, what's going to happen? I'm the leader, I have to take wickets, I have to win the game'. No one can guarantee scoring a 100, no one can guarantee picking up five wickets. I think the only thing you can do is that, 'yes, my effort will be there, my hard work will be there' and that's something you can guarantee to anybody."

He now sees leadership less as decision-making during a match and more as managing people away from it. "Off the field is so important," he admits. "On the field, you know who is going to bowl at which point and that can be done by anybody. But I feel managing the players and dealing with different players differently, I think that's something which is more important. And as someone from Afghanistan, for players from Afghanistan, I think for them, off the field is so important that you set an example there."

Afghanistan's rise over the past few years has not happened overnight, Rashid insists. He points to the influx of young players around 2021 and 2022, and the patience shown in giving them time to grow. Exposure to leagues around the world has also accelerated that development. "I think leagues play a main role in developing players to be better, like for myself I think where I am now I feel like the leagues really helped me and took me to this place where I got the opportunity to play against the best sides, best players again and again like in the IPL in tough situations," he recalls. "If I hadn't played those games in those leagues you don't know how many games I would've played for Afghanistan. So I think the leagues also played a main role in improving Afghanistan cricket."

Still, setbacks remain part of the journey. Afghanistan's Asia Cup campaign was a reminder of the margins at the highest level. Rashid is candid about where things went wrong - batting collapses, missed opportunities, and areas like death bowling that need improvement. "Against teams like these, you need to be having not many mistakes and as soon you make the mistakes you make it super easy for the opposition," he admits. "I feel like we will be a much better side in the World Cup."

As Afghanistan enter another big tournament, the conversation around them has shifted. No longer labelled a surprise package, they arrive with recent results to back their belief. "No matter where we end up in this competition, it's just about us, like how much effort and hard work we put in," he says. "And that's something that's going to decide which way we're going to end the World Cup. And that was the message given to everyone. It's all about us. It's not about being favourites or not being favourites. As long as we are putting efforts there, I think most of the time you get the right result. So things are the same. We went to the semi-final last time. I think we just need to keep it simple, put in the effort and let's see what happens."

Experience, too, could play its part. Wins against Pakistan in Chennai and England in Delhi during the 2023 World Cup remain reference points given they play three out of their four group fixtures in these two venues. Conditions may be familiar, but Rashid knows that nothing carries over automatically. "You still have to bring your A-game," he says while reminding that his side also lost a game each in those venues before notching up those famous wins.

"When we came to play against Pakistan in Chennai I think we haven't had that experience. Before that we played against New Zealand where we got a little bit of an idea of the conditions and I feel that really helped us to play against Pakistan. In Delhi we lost to India and then we won against England. So those games early on gave us a better idea individually and as a team as well and also if you look into the New Zealand side as well most of the players played there a lot to be honest for Chennai Super Kings. They have that experience."

There are no bold predictions in Rashid's assessment of Afghanistan's prospects in the mega event. Instead, there is a recurring emphasis on effort, and preparation. For a team that once relied purely on belief, that measured clarity may be the clearest sign of how far Afghanistan cricket has come.