Journey of one of the best spinners, Rashid Khan

Afghanistan bowler Rashid Khan rises to the top despite his struggles

A right-arm leg spinner, Rashid Khan is from Jalalabad and has ten siblings. His family lived in Pakistan for a few years, after they fled the Afgan war. Later they returned but Rashid started to idolize Shahid Afridi, one of the legendary spinners of Pakistan.

He made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe in October 2015. Subsequently, later in the same month, he made his T20I debut. Later in March 2017, he became the only player to take a five-wicket haul in two overs in a T20I match.

Over the upcoming years, he won several personal accolades for his exceptional bowling. In January 2018, he was named the Associate Cricketer of the Year by ICC. In May 2018, he debuted in Test cricket playing against India.

In 2019, for the upcoming Cricket World Cup, he captained his side and represented them in England. The campaign wasn’t a good one as they lost all nine matches in the competition.

After the end of the 2019 world cup, Rashid Khan was made captain for all three formats. In his first test match as captain, he became the first Afgan to take a 10-wicket haul against Bangladesh.

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Rashid Khan rose to prominence by delivering match-winning performances in the IPL too. He was first picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad for Rs. 4 crores. In his first season, he was the sixth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 17 wickets from 14 matches.

For the current season, he was picked up by Gujarat Titans, and also vice-captained them. He won the TATA IPL 2022 for Gujarat Titans and was a crucial member in the quest for their victory.

Rashid Khan did face many struggles as they are facing now, with the Taliban taking control all over Afganisthan, but his sheer determination and courage brought him to where he belonged. He is today, one of the most dangerous and sought-out bowlers in the world.