'Unfortunately, I Don't Sit In The Visa Office': Rohit Sharma On Shoaib Bashir Not Getting Entry Into India

India captain Rohit Sharma empathised with uncapped England spinner Shoaib Bashir, who had to return home from Abu Dhabi as his visa didn't come through.

The 20-year-old Pakistani-origin off-spinner has gone back to the United Kingdom to sort out his visa issue and is going to miss the first Test against India in Hyderabad starting January 25.

"I feel for Shoaib Bashir, he is coming I think for the first time. But unfortunately, I don't sit in the Visa office to make the decision.

"I hope he gets it quickly & enjoys our country," Rohit told reporters at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday.

Bashir was part of the English squad which was training for the India series in the UAE. But he had to stay back and wait for his Indian visa while his teammates and support staff left for Hyderabad.

Struggles of Pakistani players getting Indian visas

Bashir was born in Surrey and has a British passport. But as someone of Pakistani heritage, he is experiencing all-too familiar issues entering India because of the deep-rooted unrest between the neighbouring countries.

Islamabad-born Australia opener Usman Khawaja faced a similar issue last year when his team toured India last year. Khawaja came late on the tour as his visa was also delayed.

Most recently, the Pakistan cricket team was the last to reach India after getting their visas later than every other travelling team for the ICC World Cup 2023 in October-November.

Ben Stokes 'devasted & frustrated'

The situation with Bashir has left England captain Ben Stokes "devastated" and "frustrated" at the same time as his team and support staff members had submitted their paperwork in December but they still had to leave behind Bashir due to the delay in him getting a cleared to travel to India.

"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. Especially for a young lad, I'm devastated for him," the celebrated all-rounder said.

"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," Stokes told British media on Tuesday.