NEW DELHI: From a war-torn nation to making a mark on the world stage, Afghanistan cricket has come a long way. The team has produced stunning performances, challenged some of the best sides in the world and pulled off big wins against top teams. Once seen as minnows, Afghanistan have slowly shed that tag and emerged as a team capable of becoming a nightmare for the opposition.As Afghanistan prepare to face India in a three-match T20I series, starting Sunday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi, star all-rounder Rashid Khan opened up about the challenges he faced as a child in the war-torn country and how those experiences helped shape his mindset.Rashid is part of the Afghanistan T20I squad for the series against India, with all three matches scheduled to be played in Delhi.During a podcast, The Parenting Pause, Rashid was asked: “You were born into a country which had some level of conflict. There was sort of war. There was some instability. Your memories?”“Well, I think this cricket is just a normal thing, you know. And as I mentioned, what our parents have gone through, when they share their life experience with us, we are, like, you know, so blessed. This is nothing. This pressure is nothing. What we are doing in our life is nothing compared to what they have gone through. You know how it was in Afghanistan 30 years back, 35 years back, and in those days how our parents struggled in the war, like, you know, 40 years back,” Rashid said.“My mom and dad, they share their experience — how we went from this place to that place and how hard it was for them to go through all those things. So I was like, they have seen bullets going up in the air. For us to see a ball going up in the air, that is just easy. You know, it won’t kill you, but that can kill you. So, to have that kind of mentality — it’s just nothing, you just need to go for it — you can do it. You won’t die. It’s not something that you’re going to die from. And you just need to have a strong mindset.Rashid said the mental strength he has developed over the years came largely from watching his parents deal with difficult situations.“And I feel it’s all come from my parents. You know, what kind of mindset they had, how strong they were at that particular time, you know, to help and to raise your kids as well in having those kind of tough situations. I think they were the strongest, and I feel like we just got that mentality from our parents.“And whenever facing any tough days, tough time, I just think about how tough that would have been. But they never let themselves down. So why should I let myself down with this pressure?Rashid said remembering what his parents went through helps him put pressure and difficult moments into perspective.“So I think it just all comes mentally, like, you know, to have those things in the mind, and then you become mentally stronger. So yeah, I think I feel I keep that with myself, and it just helps me in a tougher time. It just helps me, and everything just goes in seconds when I think about it. You put everything in perspective. Yeah. So nothing remains.“It’s just like, okay, there is a saying now, and they say that what doesn’t kill you only makes you stronger.”Rashid believes difficult situations can also become opportunities to learn and grow.“It only teaches you and makes you stronger and gives you a better listener. So I think in a pressure situation, tough situation, you know, I’m so happy for that time because it’s not only the pressure situation, it’s just the best time for me to learn and to get the good experience and to become a better person, physically and mentally,” he said.
