Indian cricketer Mohammad Shami, who’s the part of the Indian team for the West Indies tour, had his US visa rejected in his first attempt seemingly because of his troubled past with his wife Hasin Jahan. This prompted the BCCI, the Indian cricket board, to step in to ensure that the Indian fast bowler was issued the visa in time to join the touring team.
“There was some issue with the police verification part as he was involved in a problem with his wife. But the BCCI then wrote to the embassy and the matter was sorted,” news agency IANS quoted an official from the BCCI.
“Yes, Shami’s visa application was initially rejected by the US embassy. It was found that his police verification record was incomplete. However, it’s been sorted and all the required documents have been furnished,” news agency PTI quoted a BCCI official as saying.
Among the fresh documents presented by Shami are his list of achievements for India and a complete police report on the case filed by his wife.
Last year, Shami’s wife Hasin Jahan had gone public making stunning allegations against her husband. She had accused the Indian pacer of domestic violence, cheating for another girl in Dubai and match-fixing. Jahan had even filed a case against her husband with the Kolkata Police. Their divorce case is currently pending before a court.
Shami was India’s star bowler in the just-concluded World Cup, where he took 14 wickets in just four matches. His 14-wicket haul also included a hat-trick against Afghanistan. The Indian management, allegedly at the behest of captain Virat Kohli and coach Ravi Shastri, had left Shami out in the crucial semi-final match despite his exceptional performance in the competition.
They had preferred Bhuvaneshwar Kumar over Shami even after the former conceding 73 runs in 10 overs in his previous match against Sri Lanka.
India went on to lose the semi-final match.