Tigers complete visa application procedure for India series

A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official said on Monday that they have completed their visa application process for the national team's upcoming tour of India, which includes two Tests and three T20Is. They are now awaiting the issuance of their visas to participate in the series, which is part of the ICC Test Championship.

"The team has completed its visa application," BCB's cricket operations in-charge Shahriar Nafees told the Daily Star.

A total of 43 players, officials, coaching staff, and support staff applied for visas on Monday at the Indian Visa Application Center in Jamuna Future Park for the forthcoming bilateral series in India. Both the Test and T20I squad members attended a training session at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Monday morning before heading to the IVAC to complete their biometric registration and other formalities.

Nafees mentioned that all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan and head coach Chandika Hathurusingha will apply for their Indian visas from their respective locations. Shakib is currently in England -- playing for Surrey in a County match against Somerset -- will look to join the Tigers directly in India on September 15, while Hathurusingha -- who has already applied from Australia -- is set to return to country on September 12.

"They will complete the formalities from their respective locations. Shakib will apply from England, while the head coach has already applied from Australia," Nafees said.

Meanwhile, BCB has yet to decide on the touring managerial role for the India series. Regular manager Nafees Iqbal did not travel with the team to Pakistan after suffering a stroke on July 5 but has since rejoined the side following recovery.

During Nafees' absence, BCB's senior media manager Rabeed Imam assumed both managerial and media roles during the Pakistan tour, where Bangladesh whitewashed the hosts to secure their maiden Test series win over Pakistan in the longer format.

The decision regarding the team's managerial position and the announcement of the squad will be made after BCB president Faruque Ahmed returns from Malaysia, where he is currently accompanied by BCB's chief executive officer Nizamuddin Chowdhury for an Asian Cricket Council meeting. They are scheduled to return home on Tuesday.

The Test squad is set to travel to India on September 15. Chennai will host the first Test, starting on September 19, while Kanpur will host the second Test from September 27.

The Tests will be followed by three T20Is, scheduled for October 6, 9, and 12 in Gwalior, Delhi, and Hyderabad, respectively. The last time the Tigers toured India for a full series was in 2019, when they lost the three-match T20I series 2-1 and suffered a 2-0 defeat in the Test series.