MUMBAI, Sept 22: Ricky Ponting’s Australia arrived in India on Monday for a four-Test tour, setting aside security worries following deadly bomb blasts in the country and in neighbouring Pakistan.

The 15-man squad will spend the next week training in Jaipur before flying to Hyderabad for a four-day match against the Indian board President’s XI from Oct 2.That will be Australia’s only warm-up before the first Test opens in Bangalore on Oct 9. The remaining Tests will be played in Mohali, New Delhi and Nagpur.

The highly-anticipated tour had been placed in doubt after five coordinated bomb blasts ripped through crowded markets in New Delhi on Sept 13, killing more than 20 people.A suicide attack on the Marriott Hotel in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Saturday that killed 53 people and wounded 266 forced Ponting to admit security concerns were on his mind before the team left Australia.

Australia cancelled a Test tour of Pakistan in March and also raised security concerns about this month’s ICC Champions Trophy there, forcing the tournament to be put off by a year.

Squad:

Ricky Ponting (captain), Matthew Hayden, Phil Jaques, Michael Clarke (vice-captain), Simon Katich, Michael Hussey, Shane Watson, Brad Haddin (wicket-keeper), Brett Lee, Stuart Clark, Mitchell Johnson, Doug Bollinger, Peter Siddle, Bryce McGain, Jason Krejza.

Schedule:

Sept 22-28: Training camp in Jaipur

Oct 2-5: Four-day warm-up, Hyderabad

Oct 9-13: First Test, Bangalore

Oct 17-21: Second Test, Mohali

Oct 29-Nov2: Third Test, New Delhi

Nov 6-10: Fourth Test, Nagpur.—AFP