Rashid Khan sends Eid-ul-Fitr wishes to fans, urges everyone to follow COVID-19 protocols

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan on Thursday extended Eid greetings to fans and followers on social media. Apart from sending Eid-ul-Fitr wishes to everyone, Khan also urged people to follow all COVID-19-related protocols, including wearing face masks and maintaining social distance. Eid-ul-Fitr is celebrated each year at the end of the holy month of Ramazan and is marked by people all over the world. However, this year the Eid celebrations are expected to be low-key because of the ongoing health crisis around the globe, including in India, where the third wave of the COVID-19 virus is prevalent.

India is battling one of the worst strains of COVID-19, which is contributing to the country's high infection and mortality rates. India registered more than 3,60,000 fresh infections in the last 24 hours. Deaths also remained as high as the country saw more than 4,000 people lost their lives due to the deadly disease. According to WHO, India contributed more cases than any other country in the world for the third consecutive day. India alone saw about 50% of the total global COVID-19 cases. At present, India is the worst affected country in the world in terms of fresh cases and deaths. 

Rashid Khan in IPL 2021

As far as Rashid Khan is concerned, the 22-year-old cricketer was part of the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) squad in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Khan and other international cricketers, who had come to India for IPL 2021, left the country earlier this month after the BCCI had to cancel the tournament following the breach of bio-secure bubbles across multiple teams. A few players and staff members tested positive for COVID-19 inside IPL camps, which prompted BCCI to postpone the tournament keeping in mind the safety and security of other participants. 

Rashid was having a phenomenal IPL this season despite his team not performing well in the first half of the tournament. Rashid had 10 wickets in 7 games that he played for SRH before the suspension of IPL 2021. Rashid picked up those wickets at an average of 17.20 and an impressive economy of 6.14. Khan flew directly to his home from India, where he is enjoying some quality time with family. Just last week, the Afghanistan cricket team vice-captain shared a clip, where he could be seen showing off his snooker skills in front of family members. 

(Image Credit: PTI)