India v Australia Test series: Usman Khawaja flies out to join teammates after visa row

After being left behind amid confusion with the status of his visa, Australian Test star Usman Khawaja will finally fly out to join his teammates in India.

Indian authorities have finally issued Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja’s visa after the Pakistan born player was forced to miss the team flight earlier in the day.

Monday’s winner of the inaugural Shane Warne Test player of the Year was the only member of the 18-man playing squad and support staff whose documentation was delayed.

A frustrated Khawaja was forced to fly to Melbourne and spend the night in an airport hotel.

The approval came through at 10pm Wednesday and he was up early Thursday to catch an earlier flight. He will reunite with his teammates at a practice camp in Bangalore ahead of the first Test in Nagpur on February 9.

Khawaja, who is a practising Muslim, holds an Australian passport but any visa applicant to India who was born in Pakistan or has parents born in that country must fill in a separate part of the application form.

There was no explanation why he was the sole member of the party to suffer the delay.

Usman Khawaja. Inset: His Instagram post on Wednesday.

Khawaja on Wednesday posted on Instagram with the line “me waiting for my Indian visa # stranded”.

It is understood that Khawaja’s visa application along with his passport was submitted during the Sydney Test but his was the only one not processed.

Khawaja, who was born in Islamabad, Pakistan but emigrated to Australia as a child and is an Australian citizen, has faced problems in the past.

He suffered similar delays getting a visa in the 2011 Champions Trophy causing Cricket Australia and Cricket NSW to petition the Indian High Commission.

Khawaja was in Sydney following Monday’s Australian Cricket Awards and was expecting to fly out with the team on Wednesday morning but waved the other players and staff off instead because he could not board the flight.

The Queensland based opener is understood to have been forced to fly to Melbourne where the visa applications were lodged in the hope of collecting his passport and the appropriate documentation.

It is hopeful he can fly on Thursday.

Khawaja suffered similar issues when his passport was withheld ahead of Australia’s ODI tour of India in 2020, although he ultimately wasn’t selected in the final squad.

Cricket Australia confirmed the situation this afternoon but expressed optimism that it would be resolved soon.

Usman Khawaja bats against India.

India and Pakistan have a tense geopolitical situation over contested border areas and refuse to engage in bilateral cricket series.

Pakistan-born English cricketer Moeen Ali has been delayed getting to India in the past.

Similar issues have occurred the other way as well.

Indian-born New Zealand cricketer Ish Sodhi was delayed in getting to Pakistan recently with his kiwi teammates.

Controversy over India’s treatment of its Muslim minority flared up recently when the central government banned any publication of a BBC documentary on the issue and had social media accounts censors mentions of the issue.

Australia is due to play four Tests against India beginning in Nagpur on February 9.

The side is flying into Bangalore for a training camp ahead of the series.

Originally published as India v Australia Test series: Usman Khawaja flies out to join teammates after visa row