Rashid Khan has been ruled out of the three-match T20I series against India due to a back injury.
The star leg-spinner is currently recovering from a lower-back surgery that also didn’t allow him to feature in the Big Bash League (BBL) and the SA20.
Rashid went with the team to Chandigarh but is not yet match-fit, according to Afghanistan captain Ibrahim Zadran.
"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 stepped on the field since the ODI World Cup in October-November and also missed Afghanistan's T20I series win over UAE recently.
In Rashid's absence, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad, Qais Ahmad and Sharafuddin Ashraf will be responsible for helping out the team in the spin bowling department.
Qais was the highest wicket-taker in the UAE series with six wickets at an average of 11.16 and an economy rate of 6.70.
Ibrahim was also hopeful of 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 will start on Thursday in Mohali. Indore and Bangalore will host the remaining matches on January 14 and 17.