Rehan Ahmed’s visa issue sorted, Ben Stokes thanks BCCI and Indian government

England spinner Rehan Ahmed’s visa issue has been cleared after an “anxious” wait for it. The skipper expressed relief over the quick resolution and thanked the BCCI and the Indian government for the same. Rehan has also been named in England’s Playing XI for the third Test in Rajkot. 

The England team travelled to Abu Dhabi due to a long break between the second and the third Test of the five-match series. When they arrived in Rajkot, the team discovered that Rehan had a single-entry visa. The spinner was immediately issued an emergency reprieve with the officials looking for a solution. 

There was some doubt over his participation in the Rajkot Test but Stokes said that England were clear that his paperwork would be authorised ahead of the third Test. The leggie has now been cleared to stay in India for the remainder of the tour.

“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,” Stokes said ahead of the third Test.

“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,” he added. Stokes also heaped praise on the 19-year-old for handling the situation calmly. “There were no thoughts about not playing him this week, the great thing about youth is that they just take everything in their stride,” he 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,” the England skipper said.

England make one change to the Playing XI for the third Test

England have named their Playing XI for the third Test against India in Rajkot and have made a single change to the team that went down to the hosts in Visakhapatnam. They have brought in Mark Wood in place of Shoaib Bashir to accompany James Anderson in a two-man pace attack. The English side has kept left-arm spinner Tom Hartley and leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in the team and will have more variety in the spin department with Joe Root‘s off-spin.

England’s Playing XI for the Rajkot Test:

Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ben Stokes(c), Ben Foakes(w), Rehan Ahmed, Tom Hartley, James Anderson, Mark Wood