It has been an eventful past two weeks for England spinner Shoaib Bashir. Last week, Bashir endured troubles with his Indian visa as he remained the only player English player away from the squad for most of the first Test in Hyderabad. He finally arrived in India over the previous weekend, made his Test debut this week, and kickstarted his career with the prized wicket of Indian captain Rohit Sharma.
On his Test debut, Bashir bowled 28 overs, conceding 100 runs and claiming 2 wickets. His first dismissal came in his fourth over, trapping Rohit lbw, while his second wicket was that of Axar Patel. As India wrapped up the first day of the second Test, they stood at 336 for 6.
Following the first day’s play, Bashir was over the moon with the wicket of Rohit, stating that it was “very, very special.”
“If you were to tell me that two years ago, I would laugh,” Bashir told talkSPORT.
Bashir has made only six first-class appearances so far and had 19 professional matches under his belt before he was handed a debut cap by leading English spinner Jack Leach on Friday.
“It was a very special moment receiving my Test cap, and for me to get Rohit Sharma as my first wicket was very, very special.
“He’s a great player of spin as well. I’m just so grateful to God and my family. They’ve supported me through thick and thin. I had a lot of ups and downs in my journey, so I just want to thank them as well.”
Unlike his teammates, who travelled directly from Abu Dhabi to India for the series, Bashir had to return to London to address visa issues related to his Pakistani heritage. He had to submit his passport to the Indian embassy for personal approval.
Bashir finally obtained his visa on Wednesday and joined the English squad during the fourth day of the first Test, when the side registered a remarkable 28-run win over the home team.
“I always knew I’d get the visa,” Bashir said. “I did have a few troubles with it, but look, we’re here now, and I got to make my debut, and it’s such a special day. It makes it more memorable, yeah. I had a bit of trouble, bit of hassle with it but to come out to India now and make my Test debut is unbelievable.”
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