Rashid Khan says he rejected citizenship offer from India

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan says he turned down offers from two countries to switch allegiance, choosing instead to continue representing his home nation.

Speaking about the proposals, Rashid said he had been approached by Australia and India with offers of citizenship and the opportunity to play international cricket for them.

“I received such offers (citizenship and playing) from both Australia and India," he claimed. "But I told them, ‘If I don’t play for my country, I won’t play for any other country either.’”

While he did not go into detail about the Australian offer, Rashid described his interaction with Indian officials during his time in the Indian Premier League, where he was playing for the Gujarat Titans.

According to Rashid, a team official arranged a meeting with a senior figure from the Indian cricket board.

“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," he said.

"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.’”