Usman Khawaja's arrival to India delayed ahead of Test series amid visa issues

Australian opening batter Usman Khawaja's arrival to India has been delayed due to issues in acquiring his visa. According to ESPN Cricinfo, as per the latest developments, the left-hander is scheduled to fly out to Bengaluru on Thursday.

Shortly after the rest of the squad members and support staff had left from Sydney, the veteran batter posted a hilarious meme on Instagram. Cricinfo also reported that several visas came late, but it remains unclear whether any other travel schedule has been amended.

The Australian contingent left in two groups for India on Tuesday and Wednesday, after the Cricket Australia awards in Sydney on Monday night. Khawaja, born in Pakistan but now an Australian citizen, has toured India numerous times, but has faced difficulty obtaining a visa earlier as well.

In 2011, the left-hander was initially denied a visa to feature in the Champions League T20 for New South Wales before representations to the Indian High Commission resolved the situtation.

---

Usman Khawaja won Shane Warne Test Player of the Year Award

Usman Khawaja (Image Credits: Getty)

Khawaja won the Shane Warne Test Player of the Year Award on Monday in Sydney after an outstanding 2022 with the bat. The 36-year-old was Australia's highest run-getter in Tests last year, accumulating 1080 runs in 11 games at an average of 67.50.

He was particularly impressive during the Pakistan tour, amassing 496 runs in three Tests at a jaw-dropping average of 165.33. As a pivotal member of Australia's batting unit, he said ahead of the India tour:

"We've played a lot of games in the subcontinent. Every single player, particularly the batting, has played in the subcontinent numerous times, and you take a lot from those experiences. Think the stability of this team is a big one, too. Every time I've gone to subcontinent, I've felt like there's been a lot of chopping and changing, talked about horses for courses back in the day, it's very hard to win cricket games when that's happening, in my opinion."

Australia will have a four-day preparatory camp but will not play a practice game before the opening Test in Nagpur next Thursday (February 9).