Is Rashid a kind of Jackie Robinson? Has he done what Robinson did in the United States of America in the 1940s? Was breaking the colour line any harder than battling insurgency and making a mark in a global sporting world, thus inspiring a generation to do the same? By doing what he has, Rashid has not only enhanced his own reputation, but catapulted Afghanistan to the forefront of world cricket’s consciousness. This year will only add to his achievements. Just as Sachin Tendulkar unhesitatingly calls him the best in the business in cricket’s shortest format, it is time to award him the title of the first Afghan cricket superhero.
It was just before the start of the IPL’s tenth season in 2017 that I had a meeting with David Warner in Hyderabad. Captain of the Sunrisers then, Warner was excited about the season and singled out one individual to me. “Watch out for Rashid Khan from Afghanistan,” he said. “He has serious talent, and will create trouble for most batsmen in the tournament.” I had not heard of Rashid much till then, and the first initiation was followed by a sense of excitement when I watched him bowl. A real quick arm action for a leg-spinner, and poise that suggested that this was someone who could well emerge as the first Afghan cricketing superstar. Six years down the line, he indeed has, and is now universally hailed as the greatest T20 bowler of our time.
An entertaining half-century from Rashid Khan (79* off 32) went in vain as Mumbai Indians registered a comprehensive 27-run win against Gujarat Titans at Wankhede Stadium.
📸 @IPL #IPL2023 #MIvGT pic.twitter.com/CgJwkiG7uJ
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) May 12, 2023
Also Read: Rashid and Noor – Stories of Hope and Fulfilment
Whenever you speak to him, you experience the same rootedness.
Sample this from him when he joined the Gujarat Titans. “It feels good to be able to perform for my team, whichever part of the world I am playing in,” he had said. “And like I have always said, the IPL is special. In the IPL, you are always up against the best in the world. There is no occasion when you can get away with not giving your best. Each player is trying to outdo the other, and as a result the standard of competitiveness in the IPL is the highest. People in Afghanistan watch every game we play, and each good performance makes a big difference to my people back home.”
Ask him what impact he has had on the Afghan people, and you will not fail to miss a glint in his eye. Interestingly enough, I had asked him the same question in 2017 and the answer was literally the same. Just that he is much more emphatic these days. “The whole world knows what we have gone through,” said Rashid. “But with the IPL, it is no longer about resources. Even if you don’t have any resources, you want to take to the sport and do well. You see someone like me, and you believe it can be done. The number of people who now play the sport is the biggest contribution of the IPL. They know that if they play well, the IPL is a platform they can aspire to play in. This year, we have [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz and Noor [Ahmad] and the number will only grow.”
🚨 Rashid Khan has turned the game in favour of Gujarat Titans with the first hat-trick of #IPL2023!
The 👑 of T20 bowling? #GTvKKR pic.twitter.com/Ubaj92lW1U
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) April 9, 2023
In fact, Rashid’s story has a feel-good air to it since it concludes with a feeling of hope that no barrier is ever insurmountable. It proves that not only in cinema, in real life too, a journey from the miseries of poverty to the glitz and glamour of stardom is possible if you have the vision and the zeal to work hard. It also instils belief in the clichéd and much-abused saying that there is no substitute for hard work.
“Cricket has given people in Afghanistan a new life meaning,” said Rashid on another occasion. “It is evidence that not all is lost. That things can be done and there is much more to life than insurgency and warfare. Cricket inspires us to work hard. Push ourselves in the hope of doing better than we have ever done.”