Cricket:The Board of Cricket for Control in India has reiterated the Test series against England will go ahead as planned although they have switched the second Test from Mumbai to Chennai.
Talks between the BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board have been ongoing since England decided yesterday to leave India and return home following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
The second Test was due to be staged in Mumbai, starting on December 19th, but that has been switched to Chennai, which is located on India's south-east coast.
N. Srinivasan, the honorary secretary of the BCCI, said today: "India's Test series against England will be played as per schedule.
"Chennai will host the second Test from December 19th to December 23rd, instead of Mumbai.
"The first Test will be played in Ahmedabad from December 11th to December 15th, as originally scheduled.
"Baroda will host the three-day game between the visitors and the Board President's XI from December 5th to December 7th as scheduled."
England started their journey back from India today with the violence in Mumbai, which has so far claimed over 120 lives and injured several hundred more, continuing.
The tourists fly to Bangalore to meet up with the Performance Programme squad, who will then join the main squad and return to London.
Despite the BCCI's statement today, doubts persist about whether England will return for the Test series.
One of the main targets, the Taj Mahal Palace hotel, was England's base at the start of the tour and was due to host them again for the final Test.
Whether the England players will want to return to such an unstable region once they return home to their families is very much in the balance, but assuming security experts do not advise any different, Hugh Morris, the managing director of English cricket, expects the tour to resume.
"I think the players' desire will be there," he said. "It's a Test series the players have looked forward to for a long period of time.
"It's always a huge challenge to play cricket over here in India. I would be confident the players will come over here full of enthusiasm and wanting to do well in the series."