"The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive" - ECB clarifies situation over Rehan Ahmed's visa ahead of 3rd IND vs ENG TestÂ
England spinner Rehan Ahmed was detained for a couple of hours at the Rajkot airport arrival upon arrival from Abu Dhabi with the rest of the team, ahead of the third Test against India.
The issue was ultimately resolved with the youngster being granted an emergency two-day visa, while the process for the issuance of the correct visa was signed off as well.
According to earlier reports, the spinner only had a single-entry visa, and since this was Rehan's second time coming to India from Abu Dhabi in the space of a month, he had to wait at the Rajkot airport until the entire situation was cleared out and sorted.
"We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed's visa. The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive, enabling Rehan entry on a temporary visa. The correct visa should be processed and issued in the coming days. He will continue to prepare with the rest of the squad ahead of the third Test," the ECB said in a statement on Tuesday morning.
The England team had left for Abu Dhabi following the conclusion of the second Test in Vishakapatnam. The five-match series is currently poised at 1-1, with the third Test set to begin in Rajkot on Thursday, February 15.
The visitors will be relieved with the quick solution of Rehan Ahmed's visa issue as they cannot afford to lose his services, with left-arm spinner Jack Leach already ruled out of the remainder of the tour due to a knee injury.
As a result, Rehan is the seniormost member of the spin contingent, having played three Tests in his career, while Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir have only played two Tests and one Test, respectively.
Like Rehan Ahmed, fellow spinner Shoaib Bashir also faced issues with his visa
Shoaib Bashir, one of the new faces in the England squad, also had to endure a great deal of difficulty to join the team for the Test series. The Pakistani-origin off-spinner had to miss the first Test in Hyderabad as he had to return to the United Kingdom to get his visa stamped.
After arriving midway through the first Test, Bashir was handed his maiden cap in the second Test in Visakhapatnam, where he took four wickets, including that of Team India skipper Rohit Sharma.
Although Rehan Ahmed shares the same Pakistani heritage as Shoaib Bashir, there were no issues with the former's initial arrival to India for the Tests, as he already had a visa for India in place. Rehan was part of the England 2023 ODI World Cup squad as a stand-by, and that worked in his favor.