The Sussex team's first game will be without Pujara due to a visa issue

Sussex’s out-of-favor Test batter will miss the first County Championship match of the season due to visa issues starting Thursday. Pujara is expected to make his Sussex debut next week.

A few additional four-day matches and the Royal London Cup will follow before he returns later in the season. India dropped Pujara from its recent Test series against Sri Lanka. In a statement released by the club, Pujara explained that he has been in regular contact with the club and the club is making all efforts to allow him to play in the first match of the season on Saturday.

”The current climate has made securing overseas players extremely challenging. Initially, Pujara’s contract was renegotiated to allow him to play in more County Championship and Royal London Cup match. This caused the visa requirements to change,” Sussex Performance Director, Keith Greenfield stated. ”Moreover, the Ukraine crisis has meant that the Home Office has redirected its resources to assist Ukrainian citizens who have been displaced. Rather than last weekend, Pujara will be with us this week, rather than last weekend,” he added.

Pujara is expected to play in Sussex’s second game against Derbyshire next week, even though he was recently demoted from the BCCI’s central contract list. ”The absence of a player of Pujara’s experience and quality is absolutely devastating to the Sussex team, but we have to move on and prepare for the game ahead,” stated Sussex head coach Ian Salisbury.