“Two years ago, I would have laughed at this idea”: Shoaib Bashir reflects on dismissing Rohit Sharma for his first Test wicket

England spinner Shoaib Bashir has had a remarkable and eventful past two weeks. Initially facing troubles with his Indian visa, he was the only English player absent from the squad for most of the first Test in Hyderabad. Finally arriving in India over the previous weekend, he made his Test debut in the second Test, claiming the prized wicket of Indian captain Rohit Sharma.

In his Test debut, Bashir bowled 28 overs, giving away 100 runs and taking 2 wickets. His first dismissal came in his fourth over, trapping Rohit lbw, and his second wicket was Axar Patel. At the end of the first day of the second Test, India stood at 336 for 6.

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Reflecting on his achievement, Bashir expressed his excitement, especially regarding dismissing Rohit, stating it was “very, very special.” He admitted that if someone had told him this two years ago, he would have laughed.

Bashir, with only six first-class appearances and 19 professional matches before his debut, received his Test cap from leading English spinner Jack Leach on Friday. Expressing gratitude to his family for their unwavering support, he acknowledged the ups and downs in his journey.

Unlike his teammates who directly traveled from Abu Dhabi to India, 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.

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Despite the visa challenges, Bashir finally obtained his visa on Wednesday and joined the English squad during the fourth day of the first Test, which they won by 28 runs against the home team.

Reflecting on his visa troubles, Bashir said, “I always knew I’d get the visa. 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.”