ISTANBUL, Feb 1 (AA\/APP): Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja on Wednesday expressed disappointment about India\u2019s delay in issuing him a visa, saying he is \u201cstranded\u201d while his teammates have already reached the South Asian nation for a test cricket tour.<\/p>\n
“Me waiting for my Indian Visa like (sic),” Khawaja, a 36-year-old Pakistani-born Australian cricketer, tweeted from Sydney, using a meme from a popular Netflix series about infamous drug lord Pablo Escobar.<\/p>\n
Interestingly, the left-handed opener enjoys playing Indian and South African cricket teams.<\/p>\n
Calling Khawaja Australia\u2019s “most prolific batter over the last 12 months,” Cricket Australia (CA) wrote: “Australia have suffered a setback in their preparation for the blockbuster Indian Test series as key batter Usman Khawaja awaits visa approval.”<\/p>\n
The arrival of Khawaja in India for the four-Test tour has been “delayed due to a visa hold-up,” said the CA, which oversees cricket operations in the country.<\/p>\n
On Tuesday and Wednesday, 17 Australian cricketers flew to India’s Banglore city to play the first Border-Gavaskar Trophy Test, which begins on Feb. 9 in Nagpur city.<\/p>\n
A decorated left-handed batsman since his debut in international cricket 12 years ago, Khawaja is part of an 18-member Australian team touring India.<\/p>\n
It would be Khawaja\u2019s first Test match in India if his visa is approved.
\nIndia and Pakistan are archrival South Asian nations, which have seen bilateral relations dwindling over many issues.<\/p>\n
The CA hopes that Khawaja will fly out of the country on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Earlier in 2011, Khawaja had said he was denied entry into India \u201cbecause he was not born in Australia.\u201d<\/p>\n
He has, however, returned to India several times since.<\/p>\n
Last month, the Australian cricketer had said security stopped him thrice to check his credentials and whether he was part of the team despite wearing the Australian team kit.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got stopped 3 times last year at our hotel, while in Australian Kit and asked if I was with the Australian Cricket team…,\u201d Khawaja said in response to a cricket reporter who had complained about similar security checks.<\/p>\n
Khawaja, a father of two, made his debut in first-class cricket for New South Wales in 2008 and played his first international match for Australia in Jan. 2011.<\/p>\n
Born in Dec. 1986, Khawaja\u2019s family moved to Australia when he was four years old.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISTANBUL, Feb 1 (AA\/APP): Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja on Wednesday expressed disappointment about India\u2019s delay in issuing him a visa, saying he is \u201cstranded\u201d while his teammates have already reached the South Asian nation for a test cricket tour. “Me waiting for my Indian Visa […]<\/p>\n
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