The Ben Stokes-led England cricket team returned to India on Monday after a 10-day stint in Abu Dhabi. However, their arrival in Rajkot ahead of the third Test match against India was marred by events surrounding a visa issue.
Leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed, a member of the 31-man England contingent, was detained by immigration officers at Hirasar Airport for carrying the wrong visa. Ahmed arrived in Rajkot with a single-entry visa, which does not permit individuals to leave India and re-enter. Despite this setback, he was allowed to proceed after a temporary visa was issued, and officials from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and England Cricket Board (ECB) expressed confidence that the issue would be resolved within the next 24 hours. This incident is the second visa-related issue encountered by an England player during this tour, following off-spinner Shoaib Bashir’s similar ordeal a couple of weeks ago.
Following their defeat in Visakhapatnam, Stokes and his teammates took a brief hiatus in Abu Dhabi, engaging in recreational activities before heading to India. In a departure from convention, the England team opted to land directly in Rajkot via a chartered flight, marking the first instance of an international flight landing directly in the city. To facilitate this, a temporary immigration counter was set up with officials from Jamnagar overseeing the proceedings.
Looking ahead, both the Indian and English cricket teams are gearing up for their respective practice sessions at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium on Tuesday. England will kick off the day with their nets session starting at 9:30 am, while India’s practice session is scheduled for the afternoon, beginning at 1 pm. These sessions mark the beginning of preparations for the crucial third Test match set to commence on Thursday.
