'We've raised the issues ...'- British PM shows displeasure towards Indian high commissioner over Shoaib Bashir's Visa issue

There have been a lot of surprises going into this India vs England series where a lot of players are being left out. The likes of Harry Brook missed out on the series due to personal reasons, which is also the same reason why Virat Kohli will also miss out in the first two Tests due to similar reasons. Though the replacement of Brook has not yet been announced, The Indians have opted for Rajat Patidar due to his great performance in the Domestic series against the England Lions. These are the moments that have not pleased the fans at all who were looking forward to seeing these two great players in action.

There has been another surprise in the England squad as 20-year-old off-spinner Shoaib Bashir has also missed out on the first game due to some Visa issues. This was an unfortunate incident faced by the promising spinner who has played some great cricket for Somerset in the past. He also played a major role in the T20 Blast final where he got 3 wickets to win the tournament for his side. This is also a big loss since Bashir would have been effective in Indian conditions, where he would get a great amount of turn and bounce.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak not pleased

The issues faced by Bashir were really sad since this was an opportunity to prove himself in front of one of the best sides in Test cricket, but it was British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak who seemed to have a big problem as well.  He recently made a statement that was launched by BBC that they were unhappy with the Indian high commissioner and had raised issues against this. He stated saying “ 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."

There is no doubt that this is an unfortunate circumstance where a sportsman has missed out on an opportunity of a lifetime. Rishi Sunak being a person of Indian heritage himself seemed disappointed and disgusted in the statement as well. We hope that Bashir can clear these issues and come back to playing the series for his national side. He will be an important part of the squad going into the series with a 6-foot frame and drift and could be a very tricky customer in the sub-continent conditions that will support his style of bowling.