The English cricket team faced a setback as talented spinner Shoaib Bashir is set to be absent from the first Test against India due to unexpected visa complications. Bashir, of Pakistani heritage, experienced delays in his visa application, preventing him from joining the squad in Hyderabad on time. As a result, he had to return home from the Abu Dhabi training camp, delaying his much-anticipated Test debut. With the series opener in Hyderabad looming, the English camp is anxiously awaiting a resolution to the visa issues.
A British Muslim of Pakistani heritage, Bashir was the sole player in the England squad encountering visa complications. He had to return to London from Abu Dhabi to address the issue. Reacting to his situation, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma expressed his sympathy for the young player. Sharma remarked that he empathized with Bashir, acknowledging that the situation was undoubtedly challenging for him, and he wished for a swift return to cricket for the spinner.
“I feel for him honestly, Unfortunately, I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details on that but hopefully he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and plays some cricket as well. It’s not easy for anyone, it could be one of our guys wanting to come to England and being denied,” Rohit Sharma said as per TOI.
I don’t think we are unbeatable: Rohit Sharma
Additionally, the legendary India batter also discussed India’s prospects in the upcoming Test match against England. He expressed the view that the home side is not invincible. Moreover, he emphasized that while the victory in Cape Town was indeed remarkable, the next match would be played on Indian soil, introducing different conditions and opposition. Consequently, he stressed the need for the team to exert maximum effort to face and triumph over England in the upcoming Test series.
“I don’t think we are unbeatable. We don’t want to think like that. But whatever past records that we have over the last decade or so, (they) do not guarantee that we will come out on top in this series. We have to play well to win this series. The Cape Town win was good but this match is in Hyderabad. It is different conditions, different opposition. But yeah, that win has given us a lot of confidence and we can take that into this series,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference.
