Rehan Ahmed stopped at Rajkot airport for 2 hours over wrong visa ahead of IND vs ENG 3rd Test
After Shoaib Bashir's visa ordeal ahead of the India tour, England spinner Rehan Ahmed faced a similar situation when coming to Rajkot from their mid-series break in Abu Dhabi ahead of the 3rd Test against India. The wrist-spinner was stopped at Rajkot Airport for two hours on Monday, February 12.
The youngster reportedly only had a single-entry visa to India and hence, was stopped by the authorities while flying back from the UAE for the second time in 30 days.
Rehan faced trouble for over a couple of hours after processing the wrong visa. However, the authorities came up with a short-term solution, granting him a two-day emergency visa. The England Cricket Board (ECB) remains optimistic the situation will be fully sorted in the next 24 hours.
Bashir, meanwhile, failed to receive the Indian visa on time due to his Pakistani heritage, leading him to be stuck in Abu Dhabi. He returned to England from Abu Dhabi to sort out the issue and missed the 1st Test. With Jack Leach injured, Bashir made his Test debut in Vishakhapatnam. All the English players were at the team hotel in Rajkot by Monday evening.
Rehan Ahmed yet to hit top form in the ongoing Test series
The 19-year-old wrist-spinner hasn't found the required consistency in the first two Tests of the series, taking eight wickets at an average of 36.37 and an economy rate of 4.06. Of the eight scalps, the teen prodigy picked up six in the second Test in Vizag.
The tourists emerged victorious in the series opener, registering one of their best Test wins. Despite trailing by a massive 190 runs, the Englishmen overcame it, spearheaded by Ollie Pope's 196. The right-hander's marathon knock helped England set up a target of 231 for India. However, the hosts fell short by 28 runs to concede a series lead.
India levelled the series with a 106-run victory in the 2nd Test in Visakhapatnam, with Jasprit Bumrah and Yashasvi Jaiswal playing central roles. Bumrah took the Player of the Match award for his nine-wicket haul.