England wristspinner Rehan Ahmed to leave India for personal reasons
England will not be making any additions to the squad with one Test in Dharamsala remaining after the Ranchi encounter
ESPNcricinfo staff
23-Feb-2024
Rehan Ahmed umpires for Tom Hartley and Shoaib Bashir during England training • Associated Press
Rehan Ahmed's tour of India has been cut short, with the England legspinner returning home for an urgent family matter. In a statement, the ECB also said Rehan will not be returning for the rest of the series, and neither will England seek a squad replacement.
Rehan, the 19-year-old, featured in England's first three Tests against India. He picked up 11 wickets at an average of 44, including a match-haul of 6 for 153 in Visakhapatnam. He was, however, left out of the England XI for the fourth Test beginning in Ranchi. It is understood Ben Stokes' decision to omit Rehan was not related to him having to return home, which only emerged after the team had been announced at 1pm on Thursday. Rehan was present at England's final training session that afternoon, helping out with various drills. He flies home on Friday, day one of the fourth Test.
Earlier this month, England had to wait on Rehan's availability for the third Test after learning of "paperwork discrepancies" with him on arrival from the UAE before the third Test. However, it was resolved, and Rehan picked up three wickets in England's 434-run defeat in Rajkot.
For the fourth Test, England are lining up with offspinner Shoaib Bashir replacing Rehan. The other spinner in the England XI is left-arm spinner Tom Hartley, their highest wicket-taker on the tour with 16.