IND vs ENG: Why was England spinner Rehan Ahmed stopped from entering India?

IND vs ENG: England spinner Rehan Ahmed was stopped from exiting Hirasar airport in Rajkot after arriving in India from the UAE due to visa issues. Notably, the England team left for the UAE for a mid-series break after the completion of the second Test in Visakhapatnam.

Rehan landed in Rajkot, Gujarat, with the rest of the England contingent on Monday, but was stopped by the authorities due to discrepancies in his paperworks. As per a report in Sportstar, the 19-year-old leg-spinner was holding a single-entry visa, meaning that re-entry in India was not allowed after exiting once.

Why Rehan Ahmed was stopped from entering Rajkot?

However, authorities at the Rajkot airport made temporary arrangements by granting a two-day visa. and allowing him to be with his teammates in the hotel. England are hopeful that the entire issue will be resolved before the start of the third Test from February 15.

"Hopefully it (Ahmed's visa issue) will be sorted in a day or so," said Ollie Pope while addressing a press conference in Rajkot on Tuesday.

"We were advised, on returning to India, that there was paperwork discrepancy with Rehan Ahmed's visa," the ECB said via a statement on Tuesday morning.

"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."

Off-spinner Shoaib Bashir was also stopped from entering India from the UAE before the start of the first Test. Time to solve the issue took longer than expected, and the 20-year-old Pakistan-origin player had to fly back to England and get his visa stamped. Bashir made his debut in the second Test.

"The England team has been advised to process the visa again which will be happening in the next two days," a BCCI official was quoted as saying in the Hindustan Times. "The player was allowed to enter the country with the rest of the team and he will be appearing in practice on Tuesday."

Rehan Ahmed has featured in both matches in the series so far, taking eight wickets at an average of 36.37. He picked six wickets in the second Test. He also played a crucial 28-run knock in the second-innings of the first Test which England won by 28 runs. He scored 23 runs while batting at number three in the second innings of the second Test.