Australia batter Usman Khawaja granted visa to travel to India; to fly out on Thursday
Melbourne, Feb 1: Australia opener Usman Khawaja was granted the visa late on Wednesday to travel to India for the Test series after the Pakistan-born cricketer was forced to miss the morning flight due to delay in the issuance of travel documents.
The passport and visa were handed over to a Cricket Australia (CA) representative late on Wednesday night in Melbourne, said a report in 'Sydney Morning Herald'.
The Australian Test squad and support staff led by Pat Cummins had left for the team's training base in Bengaluru on two separate flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, but Khawaja couldn't board either as his passport and visa had not been delivered by the Indian high commission.
Khawaja will now board the flight from Melbourne to Bengaluru on Thursday and could attend the team's training session on Friday, said the report.
The cricketer, after coming to know his visa documents had not been processed, had taken to social media on Wednesday afternoon to express his frustration.
"Me waiting for my Indian Visa like... #stranded #dontleaveme #standard #anytimenow," Khawaja wrote on Instagram.
The report added that the process for the issuance of visa had been initiated by CA in early January, and that Khawaja was the only member in the touring party whose application was not processed in time.
The report quoted a spokesperson of the Indian High Commission as saying that the matter was being investigated.
The Pakistan-born batter has played 56 Tests, 40 ODIs and nine T20Is for Australia. The 36-year-old also featured in the Indian Premier League back in 2016.
He was named Australia's Test Player of the Year on Monday, an award named after the legendary Shane Warne.
Australia will have a four-day training camp on the outskirts of Bengaluru before moving to Nagpur for the first Test beginning February 9. The other venues are Delhi, Dharamsala and Ahmedabad.
Both teams are in the running to reach the World Test Championship final.
Australia have opted out of a tour game in India ahead of the crucial series expecting the surfaces in practice games to be totally different from what they would face in the four Tests.
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Nearly 4,000 pilgrims set sail for Katchatheevu islet to participate in annual two-day festival
Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Nearly 4,000 Indian pilgrims on Friday set sail for the uninhabited Katchatheevu islet to participate in the annual two-day festival, which will officially commence at 4 pm at the St Antony’s Church, officials said.
The festival marks a significant moment of shared cultural and religious heritage between India and Sri Lanka.
The first batch of devotees was flagged off from the Rameswaram fishing harbour at approximately 6 am by Ramanathapuram District Collector Simranjeet Singh Kahlon.
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According to official records, a total of 3,996 registered pilgrims -- comprising 3,033 men, 726 women, and 150 children -- are crossing the Palk Strait in a fleet of 118 boats, which includes 92 mechanised trawlers and 26 country boats.
The festival will officially commence with a traditional flag-hoisting ceremony. This will be followed by the 'Way of the Cross' procession and a late-night chariot festival, where the statue of the patron saint will be carried around the shrine by Sri Lankan Navy personnel, sources said.
Strict security measures are in place, with the Indian Coast Guard and Customs department conducting a three-tier verification process at the Rameswaram jetty. All pilgrims were required to produce their Aadhaar cards and a mandatory Police No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Authorities have strictly prohibited the carriage of plastic items, alcohol, and excessive jewellery.
According to official sources, all vessels are equipped with adequate life jackets and are being escorted by Coast Guard hovercrafts up to the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL).
The festivities will reach their peak on Saturday morning with a Special High Mass conducted by the Bishops of Jaffna and Colombo in both Tamil and Sinhala. The event will conclude with the lowering of the flag, after which the Indian pilgrims will begin their return journey.
To facilitate the event, the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department has enforced a total fishing ban in the region until March 1, leaving over 1,000 local boats moored at the docks to ensure clear passage for the pilgrim fleet.
The islet was ceded to Sri Lanka by India by ways of two agreements in 1970s.
