India delays visa for Pakistani-born Australian cricketer Khawaja Cricket News

Cricket Australia says he is the only player to miss the flight to India for the Test series.

Australia opener Usman Khawaja has missed the team’s flight to India for their four-Test tour due to visa delays, Cricket Australia (CA) said.

A CA spokesman said the Pakistan-born batsman was the only player in the Australian squad who could not board the flight on Wednesday because his visa had not arrived on time.

Khawaja posted a meme online of the popular Netflix series Narcos, in which the notorious drug lord Pablo Escobar is sitting on a garden chair staring into space, with the caption “Waiting for my Indian visa” as #standed #dontleaveme #standard #anytimenow.

CA expected the visa to arrive later on Wednesday and said Khawaja was booked on a flight leaving on Thursday.

I am waiting for Indian visa #running #do not leave #standard #whenever https://t.co/pCGfagDyC1

Usman Khawaja (@Uz_Khawaja) February 1, 2023

Part of the team’s support staff will also fly on Thursday.

In 2011, Khawaja had said that he was denied entry to India because he was not born in Australia. However, since then, Khawaja has visited India several times.

Pakistan and India have had strained relations since partition in 1947, and these tensions have routinely spilled over into sports.

Australia are trying to win their first Test series in India in almost a decade. The Tests will be played in Nagpur, New Delhi, Dharamsala and the last at the world’s largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad.

After being sidelined from the Test side for about two years, Khawaja made a stunning comeback against England in the 2021-22 Ashes.

He reached his 4,000th Test run in the recent match against South Africa in Sydney, where he was caught behind for 195.

Khawaja was the first to be awarded the Shane Warne Mens Test Player Award for his 1,020 Runs at an average of 78.46.