Rehan Ahmed of England Ceased at Rajkot Airport and Postponed Entry Owing to Visa Problem

Another Test, another problem with the England side’s visa. This time, it was Rehan Ahmed who was the victim of a visa issue, which finally prevented the leg-spinner from leaving the Hirasar airport when he arrived in Rajkot for the third Test match against India.

Sportstar claims that since the spinner only had a single-entry visa, Rehan was not allowed to return to India after the England team’s mid-series break, which saw them return to Abu Dhabi.

However, local officials seemed to have temporarily settled the matter by granting Rehan a two-day visa, which allowed him to rejoin his companions and re-enter the nation. The England board is hopeful that the matter will be concluded completely in the coming days and will be taking steps to prevent such uncertainty from occurring in the future.

Rehan is the second member of the England team to have had their visa refused this year; the first being non-playing colleague and 19-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir.

The spinner had to travel back to the UK to have his visa stamped before traveling back to India on January 28, the fourth day of the first Test, in order to rejoin his team. Bashir eventually made it to Hyderabad for the first Test of the five-match series against India, but his visa was refused.

Despite their lack of senior international cricket experience, Bashir and Rehan have emerged as key players for England, especially after top spinner Jack Leach had to return home due to a knee injury.

In the second Test, which the visitors eventually lost by 106 runs, both young players showed their resilience and skill in spite of the pressure. Bashir took four wickets and Rehan took six over the two innings of play for England.

With the series poised 1-1, India and England will now go into the third test, which is scheduled to begin in Rajkot on February 15.