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Shoaib Bashir bowled 28 overs and claimed two wickets while wasting 100 runs.©AFP
The “slight annoyance” caused by the visa delay for the India tour is largely a thing of the past for 20-year-old English debutant Shoaib Bashir, who is happy to have Rohit Sharma as his first Test berth. Bashir, of Pakistani descent, was unable to travel with the England team to Hyderabad from Abu Dhabi for the series opener due to a visa delay. He joined the team in the middle of the Hyderabad Test before witnessing a special victory.
On Friday, the 6’4 tall bowler showed what he was capable of and why captain Ben Stokes picked him in the team after watching a video clip of his bowling on social media.
Bashir, who played just six first-class matches before getting his big break, was England’s best player on the opening day, returning figures of two for 100 in 28 overs. He also bowled the most overs on the day.
“It’s been a very special day. Everything I’ve been through in the last two or three years made it even more special. Getting Rohit Sharma, my first wicket, feels incredible.”
“He is a quality player, one of the best in the world and also a great spin player,” Bashir said after the close of play.
Bashir had to fly back to England from Abu Dhabi to arrange his visa before taking the flight to India. Stokes said he was devastated and even considered staying in Abu Dhabi until the issue was resolved, but Bashir claimed he was always sure of getting the visa.
“I have no doubt, I always knew I would get the visa. It was a bit complicated, but now we are here, I made my debut and that’s all that matters. To be fair, I was pretty calm. I knew it would be sorted, so thank you to the ECB and the BCCI for solving it quite quickly,” he said.
Being that tall has its advantages, one of which is the ability to generate additional bounce.
“(Growing up) I’ve always been above average height, I guess 6ft 4in helps with the turn,” he said on a lighter note.
Former England captain Alastair Cook was impressed with Bashir’s control at such a young age, but the spinner himself feels he could have been more accurate on his first day in Test cricket.
“I could have been a little more consistent with my lines, but I’m going to look back on this day and think about getting Rohit Sharma out, I think that’s all that really matters,” he said.
Apart from Stokes, he is also pleased to pick the brains of veterans James Anderson and Joe Root in the England set-up.
“Jimmy is cap 613, I’m cap 713, so there’s a hundred caps between us. He’s an amazing guy, the experience is crazy and having Rooty there helps a lot too.” England picked up three wickets in the final session to gain some momentum heading into the second day.
“I think we did well to put them six down towards the end of the day. Going forward, we want to get a couple of early breakthroughs (and) then start batting,” Bashir added.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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