When you hear the names Shahrukh Khan and Salman Khan, the first memory is that of the spate of blockbusters that these two Hindi movie superstars have given over the years. Given their fan following in India, there must be scores of men named after these two matinee idols. You would be surprised to know that two young men, with names Shahrukh and Salman and the same surname - Khan - are plying their trade in Indian cricket’s domestic circuit, looking to reach the same heights of superstardom as the two actors have, albeit on a cricket field.
20-year old Salman Faruk Khan plays for Rajasthan while 24-year old Masood Shahrukh Khan plays for Tamil Nadu. Both cricketers shared the story behind their names in an interview with The Times of India.
“My father gave me the name Salman because he loved its meaning. It was not because of the Bollywood star Salman Khan,” Salman told The Times of India.
Salman made his first-class debut in 2016 for Rajasthan, scoring a century against Odisha, and walked away with the Man of the match award. He has scored 344 runs in 8 matches in his first-class career so far. He has also represented India at the U-19 level.
The story is different for Shahrukh who was actually named after the ‘King Khan’.
“My aunt (mom’s sister) is a big SRK fan and she always told my mother that if you are blessed with a boy, name him Shahrukh Khan. She is a die-hard Shah Rukh fan,” the Tamil Nadu cricketer said. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2018 and has 230 runs to his name in 4 first-class matches at an average of 46.
{{/usCountry}}“My aunt (mom’s sister) is a big SRK fan and she always told my mother that if you are blessed with a boy, name him Shahrukh Khan. She is a die-hard Shah Rukh fan,” the Tamil Nadu cricketer said. He made his Ranji Trophy debut in 2018 and has 230 runs to his name in 4 first-class matches at an average of 46.
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