Bashir, a 20-year-old cricketer from Britain with Pakistani roots, couldn’t join the team in India because his visa application got delayed.
“I feel for him honestly,” Rohit told reporters in Hyderabad on the eve of the opening match starting Thursday.
“Unfortunately I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details,” he added.“But I hope he can make it here quickly and enjoy our country and play some cricket as well.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board tried to sort out the issue with the Indian counterpart, BCCI, but it seemed like they couldn’t make the decision. India’s foreign ministry didn’t respond immediately. Bashir wasn’t likely to make his Test debut on Thursday, and England’s captain, Ben Stokes, found the situation frustrating. England is hoping the off-spinner from Somerset can come back to India over the weekend.
India and Pakistan are rivals, both on and off the field. The longstanding diplomatic tensions between the two nations have affected sports, with India refusing to tour Pakistan or play ICC events there. Cricketers with Pakistani roots have faced entry issues into India before, like batsman Usman Khawaja, who joined Australia’s tour late last year. The Pakistan cricket team also had visa delays before the ODI World Cup in India last year.
Leave a Reply