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Rashid Khan, the top-ranked T20 and ODI bowler, was rejected at Afghanistan's U-19 trials in 2016, according to a new biography. Despite his current success, he faced challenges early in his cricket career.
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NEW DELHI: Rashid Khan is the worldâs number one bowler in both T20 and ODIs today, as per the ICCâs latest rankings. But the spin sorcerer from Afghanistan â also a crowd-pulling megastar across the cricket world â was rejected at an under-19 national selection trial, says a new biography. It was the summer of 2016, and despite the punishing sun, the teenager had lined up along with thousands of hopefuls from the strife-torn countryâs different parts at the Ghazi Amanullah Khan stadium, about 15 kilometres from Jalalabad town in eastern Afghanistan.
Dawlat Ahmadzai and Abdul Wali Amin, two reputed ex-cricketers who were coaches for the Afghanistan Cricket Board, were assigned with the talent spotting task, says the farm-fresh book, âRashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom,â written by Jafar Haand.
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The wait was long and Rashid, witnessing an open trial for the first time, was eager to showcase his wares. The book vividly recounts what exactly transpired.
One of the coaches asked him if he was a batsman or a bowler. Rashid answered that he was an allrounder. But the youngster was told that he could choose only one of the two slots: bowler or batter.
Forced to make a pick, Rashid turned for advice to the friends accompanying him. âI spoke with my friends and chose batting as a preferred option out of the two roles. They agreed that it was the right choice. I faced three or four balls, hit two, and missed the rest. The coach said, âThatâs it. Thank you for coming,â the book says. Rashid had been rejected.
Interestingly, both of them would later go on to coach Rashid. And incidentally, as per ICC rankingâs current update, the leg break and googly bowler from Nangarhar province is also rated as the worldâs No. 7 allrounder in ODIs and No. 14 in T20Is. Thatâs because the worldâs foremost white-ball bowler has the rare gift of getting into instant big-hitting stride and winning games for both country (Afghanistan) and clubs worldwide, including IPLâs Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.
IPL addicts would recall how Rashidâs six-hitting, in tandem with David Miller, pulled off a sensational heist against CSK in April, 2022. The cricketer recalls the excitement when he received a message from coach Ashish Nehra to be the stand-in skipper for GT in place of the injured Hardik Pandya.
âKhan sahib, get ready. You will captain the team tomorrow. Pandya cannot play,â the message said. âThat night, I couldnât sleep,â Rashid recalls. âNot because I was nervous to captain, but because I couldnât believe it was happening. An Afghan player would go for the toss in the IPL against Chennai! I kept thinking: people will remember Afghanistanâs name in a different way,â he says in the book, originally published in Pashto as âRashid, Khan of Cricketâ.
Rashid Khan was rejected at the U-19 trials because he was asked to choose between being a bowler or a batsman, and he identified as an allrounder.
Rashid Khan's biography, 'Rashid Khan: From Streets to Stardom,' details his rejection at U-19 trials and his determination to succeed despite early setbacks.
As of now, Rashid Khan is ranked as the worldâs number one bowler in both T20 and ODIs according to the ICC rankings.

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On that day, Rashid made history as the first Afghan to captain and win a match in the IPL. âMillions of viewers across India and beyond saw an exciting match and a new image of Afghanistan, led by Rashidâs calm, smart leadership. It became a moment of national pride for Afghans everywhere,â Haand writes.