Afghanistan’s talismanic leg-spinner Rashid Khan has revealed that he was approached by two countries, including India, with offers of citizenship and a chance to represent them, but he declined and chose to remain loyal to his homeland.
The 27-year-old leg-spinner, one of Afghanistan’s most influential cricketers, made the disclosure in his upcoming book Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom, where he recounts being informally sounded out about the prospect of switching allegiance during the 2023 IPL season.
“I received such offers (citizenship and playing) from both Australia and India. But I told them, ‘If I don’t play for my country, I won’t play for any other country either,'” Rashid is quoted as saying in the book.
While he does not go into detail about the Australian approach, Rashid narrates the Indian offer at length. At the time, he was playing in the IPL for Gujarat Titans when a team official informed him that a “high-ranking official from the Indian Cricket Board” wanted to meet him.
“I went over and greeted him. We started talking, and he said: ‘The situation in your country (Afghanistan) is very bad. Come stay in India. We will give you Indian documents, live here, play cricket here.’ I was surprised by what he was saying and didn’t know how to respond. But I smiled and said, ‘Thank you very much. I am playing for my country, Afghanistan,'” Rashid recalled.
The episode is not an isolated one. Rashid’s loyalty to Afghanistan has made headlines beforemost notably in 2018 during his stint with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a match against Kolkata Knight Riders, he produced a stunning all-round display, scoring 34 off 10 balls and picking up three wickets to turn the game on its head.
The performance sparked a social media campaign in India, with fans urging the government to grant him citizenship. Several posts even tagged then External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who responded by stating that citizenship matters were handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The campaign also drew a firm response from then Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani, who described Rashid as a matter of national pride and made it clear that the country would not part with one of its brightest cricketing assets.
Rashid later acknowledged the support, thanking Ghani and reiterating his commitment to Afghanistan, a stance he has consistently maintained despite opportunities to move elsewhere.
From the dusty streets of Nangarhar to becoming one of the most sought-after T20 players in the world, Rashid’s journey has mirrored Afghanistan’s rise in international cricket. The book traces that path in detail, from being overlooked at an Afghanistan Under-19 trial to emerging as a global star and being named the ICC Player of the Decade in 2020.
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