Cricket: Hindu nationalists lift tour threat

WASIM AKRAM, the Pakistan captain, yesterday expressed relief that right-wing Hindu nationalists had lifted a threat to disrupt his country's tour of India. "The players were really worried but I am sure that this news is going to make them very easy and comfortable. It is definitely going to take quite a lot of pressure off their heads," he said.

Wasim was speaking after India announced that the Hindu Shiv Sena party had withdrawn a threat to disrupt the tour by Pakistan. The threat had caused serious concerns on both sides of the border. "It's great for us to be in India," Shahrayar Khan, the team manager, told a press conference soon after Pakistan arrived in New Delhi amid tight security. "Never in the history of cricket has a team arrived in such a daunting atmosphere. I hope they get the welcome they deserve across India," Shahrayar said.

Pakistan travel to Gwalior today for the three-day tour opener against India A, starting tomorrow. The first Test starts in Madras on 28 January and the second will be played at New Delhi from 4 February.

India, meanwhile, have unveiled a new-look squad to face Pakistan in the first Test. The opening bat Navjot Sidhu and the vice-captain Ajay Jadeja have been dropped from the team that lost the recent Test series in New Zealand as two new caps join the 14-man squad.

The all-rounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla and the opening batsman Sadagoppan Ramesh are the fresh faces contesting a place in Mohammad Azharuddin's team to kick off the first Test series against a Pakistan side in India for 12 years.

"We thought youngsters should get a chance," Ajit Wadekar, the selection committee chairman, said. "We found Jadeja wanting against swing bowling and youngsters have shown good performances in domestic cricket."

The fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, nursing an injury, has also been left out for the first Test.

INDIA SQUAD (First Test v Pakistan): M Azharuddin (capt), S R Tendulkar, S C Ganguly, R S Dravid, V V S Laxman, J Srinath, N R Mongia (wkt), H Singh, S B Joshi, S Ramesh, H H Kanitkar, L R Shukla, Venkatesh Prasad, A Kumble.