IND vs ENG: England begins India Test prep as Bashir awaits Visa clearance

IND vs ENG: Bashir's potential inclusion adds intrigue to England's spin options, and a successful visa resolution could see him make his international debut in the series.

Satyam Singh Last Updated : 22 January 2024, 09:31 PM IST

IND vs ENG: England begins India Test prep as Bashir awaits Visa clearance

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IND vs ENG: England kicked off their training camp for the upcoming five-match Test series against India on Monday, but a visa snag cast a shadow of uncertainty over the arrival of spinner Shoaib Bashir.

Earlier, The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made a surprise selection of the 20-year-old spinner, who hadn't played any first-class cricket before his call-up. He is stuck in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) where the team was training before flying to India, according to reports.

McCullum's optimistic approach

However, head coach Brendon McCullum expressed optimism, "Bash will join us hopefully tomorrow as well," he told ESPNCricinfo. McCullum acknowledged the visa delay but downplayed concerns, highlighting the collaboration between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to resolve the matter. He emphasised Bashir's prior integration with the team during their Dubai training camp, stating, "The time that Bash had with the squad over in Abu Dhabi, where he fitted in seamlessly, will serve him greatly."

Stuart Hooper is with Bashir, who recently joined the ECB as their new managing director of cricket operations. "We've also got a little bit of support out there for him so he's not on his own. We're hoping the news will come through today that his visa has been approved, and then we'll get him to sink his teeth into this series."

Bashir's potential inclusion adds intrigue to England's spin options, and a successful visa resolution could see him make his international debut in the series. The five-match epic gets underway on Thursday in Hyderabad, with subsequent matches scheduled for Visakhapatnam, Rajkot, Ranchi, and Dharamsala.

Full schedule of Tests

1st Test: Hyderabad - January 25-29, 2024
2nd Test: Vizag - February 2-6, 2024
3rd Test: Rajkot - February 15-19, 2024
4th Test: Ranchi - February 23-27, 2024
5th Test: Dharamsala - March 7-11, 2024

Full squad of IND vs ENG

India's squad for the first 2 Tests vs England: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), KS Bharat (WK), Dhruv Jurel (WK), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Avesh Khan.

England's Test squad for India series: Ben Stokes (C), James Anderson, Rehan Ahmed, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Shoib Bashir, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Ben Foakes (Wk), Dan Lawrence, Tom Hartley, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Mark Wood.

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IND vs ENG: England begins India Test prep as Bashir awaits Visa clearance

IND vs ENG: Bashir's potential inclusion adds intrigue to England's spin options, and a successful visa resolution could see him make his international debut in the series.