Following Shoaib Bashir’s visa issues prior of the India trip, England spinner Rehan Ahmed had a similar scenario upon returning to Rajkot from their mid-series break in Abu Dhabi ahead of the third Test against India. On Monday, February 12, Rehan Ahmed was halted at Rajkot Airport for two hours.
The youngster reportedly only had a single-entry visa to India and was detained by officials when returning from the UAE for the second time in 30 days.
Rehan Ahmed was in difficulty for many hours after submitting the incorrect visa. However, the officials devised a short-term solution, issuing him a two-day emergency visa. The England Cricket Board (ECB) believes it’ll resolve in a day.
Shoaib Bashir doesn’t get his Indian visa promptly because he’s Pakistani, trapping him in Abu Dhabi. He returned to England from Abu Dhabi to resolve the situation, missing the first Test. Bashir made his Test debut at Vishakhapatnam when Jack Leach had an injury. By Monday evening, all of the English players had arrived at their team hotel in Rajkot.
Rehan Ahmed struggles to find rhythm in Test series
The 19-year-old wrist-spinner has struggled for consistency in the first two Tests of the series, taking eight wickets at 36.37 average and 4.06 economy rate. The young prodigy claimed six of the eight wickets in the second Test in Vizag.
The tourists triumphed in the series opener, recording one of their finest Test victories. Despite down by a huge 190 runs, the Englishmen rallied, led by Ollie Pope’s 196. The right-hander’s long innings helped England set a 231-run goal for India. The hosts, however, fell short by 28 runs and lost the series advantage.
The series was tied when India won the 2nd Test in Visakhapatnam by 106 runs. Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal were key players. Bumrah earned the Player of the Match title with his impressive nine-wicket feat.