In a recent interview, Khawaja shared, when I first joined the team, people didn’t really understand me. I felt like a stranger in my own dressing room. I knew it was because of who I was and where I came from.
He added, At the start, I honestly felt like I didn’t fit in the Australian cricket setup. But when I made my comeback in 2015, it was a completely different feeling. Talking about the current team, Khawaja said, most of the guys now have grown up playing with me. They’re all superstars today, but when I returned, it felt like home. I really enjoyed being back. These players understood me, my personality, my mindset.
Sharing how people once misunderstood his culture and faith, he said, in the early days, no one had any idea what Ramadan was. They thought I wasn’t training hard enough. I’d be fasting till 6:30 in the evening, no food, no water, but I was still out there putting in the same effort as everyone else.
Khawaja spoke honestly about the ups and downs in his career. People often ask me where I get my strength from, and how I manage to make a comeback again and again. I tell them, it’s my faith. I believe not everything happens the way you want it to. Allah always has a better plan.
The Australian batter continued, That’s my journey, Allah’s plan for me. My job is just to keep working hard. There’s a word in Arabic, Tawakkul, which means putting your complete trust in Allah. That’s what I live by. I believe whatever comes next will be even better for me. I’m a family man, and family always comes first for me.
