3 cricketers whose India visas were delayed ft. Shoaib Bashir
Team India and England will kickstart their battle in the first Test of the five-match series in Hyderabad, starting on January 25.
While India are coming off an impressive drawn series in South Africa, England will be playing their first red-ball game since the enthralling Ashes at home that ended in July last year. Despite being the last team to defeat India in their backyard in 2012-2013, England suffered hammerings in their previous two tours by 1-3 and 0-4 margins.
And while cricket on the field promises to have fans on the edge of their seats, the build-up to the series opener has been marred by a few off-field headlines. It started with key batters from both sides, Harry Brook and Virat Kohli, opting out of the full series and two Tests, respectively.
The latest off-field development has been the delayed visa issue for Somerset off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Furthermore, it isn't the first time a cricketer has suffered a delay on a tour of India due to a visa issue.
On that note, let us look at three cricketers, including Bashir, whose India visas were delayed.
#1 Shoaib Bashir
The latest cricketer to suffer a delayed visa to India is off-spinner Shoaib Bashir, leading to him missing the first India-England Test.
A 20-year-old British Muslim of Pakistani heritage, Bashir, is the only member of the English touring squad to India to have encountered a delay in obtaining his visa. It has resulted in the youngster flying back to the UK to sort out the issues and procure the necessary approvals at the Indian embassy.
While the rest of the England squad traveled to Hyderabad after a training camp in Abu Dhabi, Bashir remained put as the ECB tried to resolve the matter in the UAE.
While talking to reporters ahead of the first Test, England skipper Ben Stokes voiced his displeasure over the debacle by saying:
"I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team. Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. As captain, I find it particularly frustrating. We announced the squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here."
Bashir was a surprise inclusion in the England squad for the India series, considering his limited first-class experience of only six games.
It remains to be seen if the 20-year-old arrives in India in time for the second Test, starting February 2.
#2 Usman Khawaja
Pakistan-born Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja faced a delay in his visa before the Border Gavaskar Trophy last year.
While the rest of the Australian squad left for India, Khawaja had to remain home until his visa approvals were complete. The 37-year-old even took to his Instagram handle to share his frustrations.
Finally, Khawaja's visa was approved to travel to India, and he joined his teammates a day later for the training camp.
Unlike Bashir, the southpaw did not miss any game time and played in all four Tests of the marquee series. Khawaja also prospered with the bat under extreme batting conditions, scoring 333 runs at an average of 47.57, including a century and two half-centuries.
Yet, his heroics went in vain as the Aussies suffered a 1-2 series defeat to lose their fourth consecutive Test series against India.
#3 Moeen Ali
England all-rounder Moeen Ali was another one who suffered a delayed visa due to a separate procedure for players of Pakistani descent.
It happened before the start of the 2022 IPL season after Moeen helped the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) win the title in 2021. While the 36-year-old finally obtained approval and traveled to India two days before CSK's season opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), he was forced to miss the game due to a three-day quarantine period.
Still, Moeen enjoyed an impressive season, scoring 244 runs and picking up eight wickets in his ten outings. However, CSK were woeful in their title defence and finished second from bottom on the points table.