Rashid Khan, ex-Afghanistan captain, has revealed that he has received offers of citizenship from India and Australia, and even a high-ranking official from the Indian cricket board offered him a faster route to Indian citizenship and Team India.

The 27-year-old leg-spinner, one of Afghanistan's most influential cricketers, revealed the news in his upcoming book Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom, in which he describes being informally approached about 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, as per India Today.

Rashid Khan doesn’t go into the details about the Australian offer, but reveals a lot about the offer he received from India. Rashid was playing in IPL 2023 for the 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.

Rashid's devotion to Afghanistan has already made headlines, most notably in IPL 2018 during his time with Sunrisers Hyderabad. In a match against the Kolkata Knight Riders, he delivered a fantastic all-round performance, hitting 34 off 10 balls and taking three wickets to turn the game around.

The performance prompted a social media movement in India, with admirers calling on the government to grant him citizenship. Several tweets even mentioned then-External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who responded by claiming that citizenship issues were handled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The campaign also elicited a strong response from then-Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who referred to Rashid as national pride and stated unequivocally that the country would not part with one of its most promising 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.