Rashid Khan Says He Turned Down Offers to Switch Countries, Including Indian Citizenship
In his upcoming book, Rashid Khan recalls refusing offers from India and Australia in 2023, insisting he would play only for Afghanistan.
By SportCricket Desk · 20 Apr 2026 · 2 min read
Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan says he was once offered citizenship and the chance to play for another country, and that he turned the proposals down without hesitation.
Revelations from the book
Rashid, who is turning out for Gujarat Titans in IPL 2026, makes the claim in his forthcoming book, Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom. It looks back at key moments in his career and the challenges he faced away from the field.
According to excerpts, the offers arrived around the 2023 IPL season while he was playing in India. He says approaches came from both Australia and India, and that his answer was the same each time: if he could not play for his own country, he would not play for anyone else.
He also describes a conversation with a senior Indian cricket official, who suggested he could settle in India given the situation in Afghanistan and represent the country if he wished. Rashid says he was taken aback, smiled, thanked the official and said he was playing for Afghanistan.
A long-standing reputation
His loyalty has been admired for years. In 2018, playing for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Kolkata Knight Riders, he hit 34 off 10 balls and took three wickets, prompting some Indian fans to call for him to be given citizenship.
Rashid has remained one of Afghanistan’s most prominent sporting figures. The book also traces his path from the streets of Nangarhar to becoming one of the leading T20 players in the world and the ICC Player of the Decade in 2020.
