BCCI flipper turns tour around: ODIs first

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><script language="javascript">doweshowbellyad=0; </script><br />KOLKATA: It''s out. It''s final. And it''s official. Setting to rest all speculations, <a href="/articleshow/511265.cms">BCCI</a> chief Jagmohan Dalmiya released the itinerary for the Indian cricket team''s tour of Pakistan here on Saturday. But not before he had added a twist in the tale. In a surprise move, Dalmiya announced that the tour will begin with the five-match One-day series and not the three-Test one.<br /></div> <div align="left" style="position:relative; left: -2"><table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="2" align="left" border="1" width="32.1%"> <colgroup> <col width="100.0%" /> </colgroup> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-family:="" times="" new="" roman=""><img src="/photo/511928.cms" alt="/photo/511928.cms" border="0" /></span></div> </td> </tr> <tr valign="top"> <td width="100.0%" colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="" valign:="" top="" background-color:="" f3f3f3=""> <div class="Normal"><span style="" font-size:="">Jagmohan Dalmiya at a press conference in Kolkata on Saturday.</span></div> </td> </tr> </table></div> <div class="Normal">Asked why the One-dayers preceded the Tests, Dalmiya said: "The team has just returned from Australia after playing a long-drawn One-day series. So it would be easier for them to adjust to the shorter version of the game. <br /><br />He added: "We understand the importance of the elections and drew up the itinerary so that there is minimum interference with the election process."<br /><br />The Indian team will land in <a href="/articleshow/511265.cms">Pakistan</a> on March 10 and play a warm-up match on March 11.<br /><br />However, there was no surprise in the venues. <a href="/articleshow/511661.cms">Karachi</a> and Peshawar will not be hosting Test matches. Instead both the centres have been given a One-dayer apiece. The first One-dayer will be played at Karachi on March 13 followed by the second at Rawalpindi on March 16. The third One-dayer will be at Peshawar on March 19, while Lahore will host the last two matches of the series on March 21 and 24.<br /><br />During the 40-day tour, the first Test will be played at Multan between March 28 and April 1, the second at Lahore between April 5 to April 9 and the third at Rawalpindi from April 13 to April 17.<span style="" font-size:="" font-weight:="" bold=""> </span><br /><br /><img src="/photo/511929.cms" alt="/photo/511929.cms" border="0" /><br /></div> </div>