India vs England 2024
England team spinner faces visa issue upon re-entry to India ahead of 3rd Test in Rajkot
India is set to take on England in the third Test starting on 15th February 2024 in Rajkot.
On Monday, February 12, England bowler Rehan Ahmed was halted at the Rajkot airport because of a visa issue. The spinner was halted by airport officials on his way back from the United Arab Emirates, his second flight in the previous thirty days, since he had been granted a single entry visa to India.
For the series’ third Test match, which is scheduled to begin on February 15, the England squad travelled to Rajkot from Abu Dhabi. Rehan Ahmed, an England cricket player, encountered difficulties at the Rajkot airport for over two hours due to having the incorrect visa. Rehan entered India for the second occasion during the previous month, but he was granted a single entry visa, so the officials halted him.
Prior to the match in Hyderabad, young bowler Shoaib Bashir was forced to go back to England due to visa issues, which caused a setback. Bashir’s application was delayed even though he applied for a tourist visa on December 11th, 2023, and the other members of the touring party received their permissions quickly.
During a pre-series camp in Abu Dhabi, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) had hoped to settle the dispute there. But in the end, they had to return Bashir to the UK for further documentation.
Former Team India pacer shells light on England team visa issues
Venkatesh Prasad, the former pacer for India, criticised the ECB on X, calling what they did “an old English way” and claiming that they weren’t following the rules. According to the former cricket player, the main reason for the delay was that the ECB believed the visa would be stamped in a third nation rather than in the UK.
The former Team India speedster wrote on X, “His visa needed to be stamped in the UK. The ECB sent Shoaib Bashir to the UAE, thinking it would be stamped in a third country. Not following basic procedures, assuming things and then crying foul is an old English way. If anyone, it is the ECB at fault,”
