Visa delay forces Australian opener Usman Khawaja to miss his flight to India

Australia’s Usman Khawaja. File
| Photo Credit: AP

Australian opener Usman Khawaja was forced to miss his flight to India on February 1 due to a visa delay. The Australia squad left for the high-profile four-Test series against India without Khawaja, who is now expected to depart on February 1.

“Me waiting for my Indian Visa like… #stranded #dontleaveme #standard #anytimenow,” wrote Khawaja while posting a meme on social media. The Pakistan-born batter has played 56 Tests, 40 ODIs and nine T20s for Australia. The 36-year-old also featured in the IPL back in 2016.

He was named Australia’s Test Player of the Year on Monday, an award named after the legendary Shane Warne. Australia will have a four-day training camp in the outskirts of Bengaluru before moving to Nagpur for the first Test beginning February 9. The other venues are Delhi, Dharamsala and Ahmedabad.

Both teams are in the running to reach the World Test Championship final. Australia have opted out of a tour game in India ahead of the crucial series expecting the surfaces in practice games to be totally different from what they would face in the four Tests.