England began Test preparations in Hyderabad without Shoaib Bashir, who was left stranded in the UAE due to visa issues.
England arrived in India on Sunday ahead of Thursday's opening Test after a training camp in Abu Dhabi, where Bashir remained due to a paperwork issue that prevented him from traveling with the rest of the group. The Somerset offspinner, whose parents are Pakistani, is accompanied by Stuart Hooper, the ECB's new managing director of cricket operations.
England's head coach, Brendon McCullum, stated that the ECB has raised the situation with the authorities concerned, including the Indian government, and anticipates favorable news within the next 24 hours. England is optimistic about a swift conclusion and plans to welcome Dan Lawrence on Monday evening.
Lawrence was recruited into the 16-man roster after Harry Brook returned home due to a family issue. Brook flew back to the UK on Sunday, while Lawrence stayed in the UAE to play for the Desert Vipers in the ILT20, where they lost to the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders.
Though Bashir is expected to miss two days of practice (England will train on Tuesday morning at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium), McCullum assured that he will still be ready for selection in the first Test. Bashir, 20, was a surprise inclusion in the squad, chosen for his promise rather than his performance, despite having only 10 first-class wickets at 67.
But he impressed on Lions duty and with the entire team in the UAE, where he has continued to make a great impression with his high release point and ability to spin the ball sharply, which England considers essential for the conditions they expect to play in this series.
"Bash will hopefully join us tomorrow as well," McCullum said. "He's got a couple of issues with his visa coming through. We're confident on the back of the help from the BCCI and the Indian government that will sort itself out pretty quickly as well.”