England leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed's tour of India has been cut short, as the youngster will be heading back home due to personal reasons.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed that Rehan will be returning home, and he will not return for the remainder of the Indian tour.
This decision means that Rehan will not be available for the fifth and final Test against India in Dharamshala. The ECB also announced that they opted against naming a replacement for the leg-spinner for the final Test against India, starting on March 7, 2024.
Read Also: IND v ENG 2024: WATCH- India debutant Akash Deep rattles England's top order with three wickets
The ECB said in a statement: “Rehan Ahmed will return home for personal reasons with immediate effect from England Men’s Test tour of India. He will not be returning to India. England will not be replacing Ahmed for the rest of the tour.”
However, England have two other spinners in their squad – left-arm tweaker Tom Hartley, who is their highest wicket-taker so far on the India tour with 16 scalps, and the finger spinner Shoaib Bashir. Notably, 19-year-old leggie Rehan took 11 wickets in the first three Tests in India.
Well, Ahmed had participated in training ahead of the Ranchi Test, but the circumstances forced him to make the difficult decision to return home. Resulting in England making a strategic decision to bring back finger spinner Bashir for the crucial fourth Test against India in Ranchi.
(With PTI Inputs)