India Vs England: 'I feel for him honestly', says Rohit Sharma on Shoaib Bashir's visa row

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ALSO READ: India vs England: ENG's Shoaib Bashir ruled out of 1st Test due to visa issues, Ben Stokes calls it ‘very frustrating’ Shoaib Bashir, a British Muslim of Pakistani descent, faced visa issues amid England embarking on India's tour for a five-Test series. With his teammates proceeding to Hyderabad for the first test after a training camp in Abu Dhabi, the young cricketer remained in the Emirate and later returned to England to seek the necessary approval at the Indian embassy. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the government expects British citizens to be treated fairly by India's visa processes.

"I can't speak to the specifics of this case. But more broadly we have previously raised issues of this kind with the High Commission. We have been clear that we expect India to treat British citizens fairly at all times in its visa processes.

We have previously raised the issues British citizens with Pakistani heritage have experienced. We've raised the issues about their experience of applying for visas with the Indian High Commissioner in London," the spokesperson said, as quoted by the BBC. The recent row has frustrated the England camp.

“I didn’t want this type of situation to be his first experience of what it’s like to be in the England Test team," England captain Ben Stokes said, as quoted by AP. "Especially for a young lad, I’m devastated for him. “As captain, I find it particularly frustrating.

We announced the squad in mid-December, and now Bash finds himself without a visa to get here. He’s not the first cricketer to go through this. I have played with a lot of people who have had the same issues.