Rashid Khan Turned Down India’s Offer Of Citizenship

NEW DELHI- Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan has revealed that he turned down offers of citizenship from India and Australia, saying he wanted to remain committed to representing Afghanistan.

The star cricketer shared the details in his book, ‘Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom’, where he recounted an incident during the 2023 Indian Premier League season.

According to Rashid Khan, a team official told him that a senior figure from Indian cricket 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 Khan wrote.

He added that similar offers were also made from Australia.

“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,’” he wrote.

Rashid Khan also recalled that after a match-winning performance for Indian Premier League franchise Sunrisers Hyderabad against Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, many social media users in India called for him to be granted citizenship, reflecting his popularity among fans. (IANS)