Rehan Ahmed
's exit from the airport upon England's arrival for the third Test was hindered by the absence of a multiple-entry visa for India. However,
Ollie Pope
, Ahmed's teammate, expressed hope that the issue would be resolved before the match commences on Thursday.
Following the second Test in Visakhapatnam, England enjoyed a 10-day break in Abu Dhabi. However, upon their return to India on Monday, Ahmed encountered difficulties at Hirasar airport as he had only a single-entry visa.
Fortunately, local immigration authorities granted the 19-year-old an interim two-day visa to facilitate his entry. Pope remained optimistic that this incident would be swiftly resolved.
"Hopefully it (Ahmed's visa issue) will be sorted in a day or so," said Pope while addressing a press conference in Rajkot on Tuesday.
Ahmed claimed two wickets during the first Test, which England won by 28 runs. In the second Test at Visakhapatnam, he secured six wickets, yet India emerged victorious by 106 runs, leveling the five-match series at 1-1.
On Tuesday, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) released a statement indicating that Indian authorities had identified some discrepancies in Ahmed's paperwork. They assured that efforts were underway to address the issue.
"We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed's visa," ESPNcricinfo had quoted the ECB.
"The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive, enabling Rehan's 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 statement added.
English (US) ·