Pak team to arrive in India on Feb 28

First Test starts in Mohali on March 8, while the first ODI begins on April 2 at Kochi. Ahmedabad hosts the fourth.

The Pakistan cricket team will arrive on February 28 for a 50-day tour of India comprising three Tests and six-one-dayers, it was announced on Sunday.

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The announcement, made by BCCI secretary SK Nair, means the start of the tour has been delayed by three days as an earlier programme had slated the arrival of the Pakistan team for February 25.

Nair said the itinerary was finalised after the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the tour programme put forward by the Indian board.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board has confirmed the tour programme as suggested by us," he said.

The visitors, touring the country for a full series after a gap of six years, would begin their tour with a three-day warm up match against the Board President's XI at Dharmashala on March 3.

According to the itinerary, Mohali would host the first Test (March 8-12), Kolkata the second (March 16-20) and Bangalore the third and final match (March 24-28).

The first one-dayer would be played on April 2 at Kochi while the last in Delhi on April 17. Nair said Ahmedabad would host the fourth One-Day International.

But with Pakistan giving its nod to play an additional sixth One-Day International in Ahmedabad on Friday, decks were cleared for the final tour programme to be put in place.

Nair expressed hope that the series would further strengthen the ties between the two countries. "This is an event eagerly awaited by cricket lovers in both the countries. We are sure that the series is going to be quite exciting for the cricket loving public.

"Thousands of fans had turned out to witness the last Indo-Pak series in Pakistan. That was an encouraging experience for the Indian team and this time we expect that the Indian fans would reciprocate the reception," he said.