Rehan Ahmed Denied Entry In Rajkot: England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed was stopped by the officials at the Hirasar airport, Rajkot, from exiting the airport due to a lack of or incorrect visa paperwork.
England had been at a camp in Abu Dhabi organized as a short break during the 10-day gap between the second and third Tests. On arriving at the Hirasar airport in Rajkot, where the third Test will be played from Thursday, Rehan Ahmed was initially asked not to leave the airport because he only had a single-entry visa.
After a long delay, the airport authorities came to an agreement with the ECB officials and allowed Rehan to enter the city on a temporary visa, with the condition that the issue would be cleared by the ECB within the next 48 hours of the incident.
Rehan Ahmed Denied Entry In Rajkot: ECB Gives the Statement
On Tuesday morning, the ECB released a statement addressing the issue. It said,
“We were advised, on returning to India, that there was a paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed’s visa. The local authorities at Rajkot Airport were supportive, enabling Rehan 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.”
It seems like a major lapse from the officials at the ECB. Rehan’s first visa to arrive in India was secured when he was named as a standby ahead of the World Cup last year.
A BCCI official was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times, “The England team has been advised to process the visa again which will be happening in the next two days. The player was allowed to enter the country with the rest of the team and he will be appearing in practice on Tuesday.”
The 19-year-old leg-spinner has featured in both Tests so far, claiming 8 scalps at an average of 36 and scoring 70 runs. He has grown well into his bowling. He managed only two wickets in Hyderabad but snapped six wickets in Vizag.
The third Test is scheduled to kick off on February 15 in Rajkot, the fourth on February 23 in Ranchi, and the fifth on March 7 in Dharamsala.
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