England Cricket Team can breathe a sigh of relief as Rehan Ahmed will be available to play IND vs ENG 3rd Test in Rajkot without needing to worry about the visa issues. And England captain Ben Stokes has thanked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for sorting out visa issues in quick time.
Rehan Ahmed was stopped and questioned at the Hirasar airport near Rajkot for carrying incorrect visa. The leg-spinner arrived in India with a single-entry visa and then flew to Abu Dhabi for a week. But as he reentered India, he should have renewed his visa which he did not. While local authorities helped him get a temporary two-day visa, with just two days left for IND vs ENG 3rd Test, it was doubtful.
“For any individual having to wait for that is always an anxious period, but thankfully, we got it through this morning, and great job from the guys at the airport for giving him his visa to get through initially, and everyone at the BCCI and the government to get the visa quickly,” Ben Stokes said ahead of IND vs ENG 3rd Test.
Rehan Ahmed in England Playing XI
With the visa issues sorted, England drafted Rehan Ahmed in the Playing XI for IND vs ENG 3rd Test. Shoaib Bashir who also faced visa issues was dropped to the bench to make way for Mark Wood.
“We do not have to worry anymore about those issues, we were very confident that we would get the visa for Rehan before the game started,” ben Stokes added.
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Ben Stokes said he was certain that Rehan Ahmed would get his visa issues sorted. And that is why England picked him in the Playing XI ahead of Shoaib Bashir.
“There was no thoughts about not playing him this week, the great thing about youth is that they just take everything in their stride,” ben Stokes said.
“He handled a situation that could’ve affected quite a lot of people in a different way, very well for such a young kid. Rehan, in the Test matches that he has played, he has done very well and he has solved everything that we have asked him,” he added.
