‘I feel for him honestly’ - Rohit Sharma gives his take on Shoaib Bashir’s unfortunate visa incident

As England gear up to take on India in a five-game Test series, the squad was left without the services of youngster Shoaib Bashir, who had visa issues and returned to the UK in an attempt to expedite the visa process after being stuck in Abu Dhabi ahead of the series opener.

A British Muslim with Pakistani lineage, Bashir was the only player in the England squad who faced such issues with his visa. He was forced to fly back to London from Abu Dhabi to resolve the issue. Speaking of his situation, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma came forward to offer his sympathies to the youngster. He said that he felt for him and that it was definitely not easy for him, and he hoped to get back to playing cricket as soon as possible.

“I feel for him honestly, Unfortunately I don’t sit in the visa office to give you more details on that, but hopefully he can make it quickly, enjoy our country and plays some cricket as well,” Rohit Sharma was quoted as saying by The Independent.

“It’s not easy for anyone, it could be one of our guys wanting to come to England and being denied,” he further added.

I don't think we are unbeatable: Rohit Sharma

Furthermore, Rohit Sharma also talked of India’s chances in the upcoming Test match against England. Opining that the home side are not unbeatable. Besides, he also reminded everyone that even though the Cape Town win was quite special, the next match would be on Indian soil which meant that the conditions on offer along with the opposition would be different. Hence, they will have to give it their all to take on and beat England in the upcoming Test series. 

“I don't think we are unbeatable. We don't want to think like that. But whatever past records that we have over the last decade or so, (they) do not guarantee that we will come out on top in this series. We have to play well to win this series,” Rohit said in the pre-match press conference. 

“The Cape Town win was good, but this match is in Hyderabad. It is different conditions, different opposition. But yeah, that win has given us a lot of confidence, and we can take that into this series,” Rohit concluded.