Former Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has revealed that he once received offers from India and Australia to change his international team. But the star leg-spinner chose to stay loyal to Afghanistan.
In his upcoming book Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom, Rashid shared this story. He said the offers came during the 2023 IPL season. At that time, he was playing for Gujarat Titans.
“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 said in the book.
Rashid recalls meeting with BCCI official
Rashid gave more details about the offer from India. He said a team official told him that a senior member from the Board of Control for Cricket in India 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 said.
Rashid’s loyalty to Afghanistan is well known. In 2018, while playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad, he produced a brilliant all-round show against Kolkata Knight Riders. He scored 34 runs off 10 balls and took three wickets.
Fans in India even asked the government to give him citizenship. They tagged former minister Sushma Swaraj on social media.
Back home, then President Ashraf Ghani called Rashid a national pride. He made it clear Afghanistan would not lose such a star.
The book also tells Rashid’s journey. He grew up in Nangarhar. He faced many struggles. Today, he is one of the best T20 players in the world.
ALSO READ SRH Sign Gerald Coetzee as Replacement for Injured David Payne in IPL 2026
