Rashid Khan is currently playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Gujarat Titans but has made the headlines for startling revelations in his book titledย Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom. The Afghanistan spinner has revealed that he received citizenship offers from India and Australia in the last few years and that he duly denied both of them.
In his book, Rashid has recalled being informally approached about switching allegiance during the IPL 2023 edition. According to the details mentioned in the book, which is due to release soon, Rashid recalled being approached by a senior BCCI official who highlighted the problems in Afghanistan and then offered Indian citizenship.
“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 wrote in his book.
Rashid Khan’s clear response to the offer of citizenship
“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 further added.
Interestingly, the Afghanistan maestro didn’t go into detail about the citizenship offer from Australia in his book.
Meanwhile, Rashid continues to play for Gujarat Titans in the IPL and has returned to form after a slow start this season. He has been the most economical bowler for the Titans, conceding only 154 runs in 20 overs so far while picking up six wickets. It took some time for the Afghanistan leggie to come to the party but has returned to his form in time for the Titans who are on a three-match winning streak at the moment.
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