Rashid Khan was on fire with a stupendous all-round performance in Qualifier 2 against KKR. The Afghani spinner’s ace game not only led SRH into the finals but also earned him the Man of the Match award. Not only he snatched 3 wickets by giving away just 19 runs but he also took 2 catches and effected a runout.
Receiving the award, Rashid dedicated it to the people in Afghanistan who had lost their lives in a bomb blast during a cricket game, earlier this month. The spinner is just 19 and has already garnered so much of love from fans. He is currently the No.1 T20 bowler in the ICC ranking.
Now that Sunrisers Hyderabad has reached the finals, everyone is talking about Rashid Khan’s performance.
Always felt @rashidkhan_19 was a good spinner but now I wouldn’t hesitate in saying he is the best spinner in the world in this format. Mind you, he’s got some batting skills as well. Great guy.
— Sachin Tendulkar (@sachin_rt) May 25, 2018
I think Rashid Khan could discover a new planet in the solar system or a new element in the periodic table today
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) May 25, 2018
What a great match last night.. feel really sad for @KKRiders but hats off to @rashidkhan_19 who slammed 34 in 10, bowled 4 overs for 19, took 3 crucial wickets, 2 catches & effected a run out.. a performance deserving of a victory.
And now for a cracking final.— Farhan Akhtar (@FarOutAkhtar) May 26, 2018
In fact, fans loved his game so much that many of them have even started seeking Indian citizenship for the Afghani spinner.
Let’s all sign a petition for getting Rashid Khan Indian citizenship.#SRHvCSK
— Bertrand Zobrist (@AB_arpit) May 22, 2018
India should give citizenship to Rashid Khan. Serious. Best case scenario for 2019 World Cup. #SRHvRCB
— Gabbbar (@GabbbarSingh) May 7, 2018
The matter escalated so quickly that even Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj and Afghani President Ashraf Ghani couldn’t refrain from voicing their opinion.
Screenshot of the tweet that was later deleted (Courtesy: Storypick)
Afghans take absolute pride in our hero, Rashid Khan. I am also thankful to our Indian friends for giving our players a platform to show their skills. Rashid reminds us whats best about Afg. He remains an asset to the cricketing world. No we are not giving him away. @narendramodi
— Ashraf Ghani (@ashrafghani) May 25, 2018
Talking about the final, now Sunrisers Hyderabad will have to knock out Chennai Super Kings to claim the IPL trophy on 27th May. Interestingly, both CSK and SRH have been the top 2 teams of this tournament and it’s really tough to say which one would be the winner. Needless to say, everyone would be looking forward to Rashid’s performance, especially after his stupendous all-round game against KKR.
