England stars Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid been briefed about possible threats against Muslims in India
MOEEN ALI and Adil Rashid have been briefed about possible threats against Muslims in India.
The England team landed in Mumbai yesterday for their five-Test series against the world’s No 1 team.
And England security chief Reg Dickason says he has had talks with spin duo Moeen and Rashid on potential issues in the country.
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The Hindu nationalist party Shiv Sena has already held demonstrations against Pakistani umpire Aleem Dar officiating in the series.
Dar will not appear and the ICC insists he was always rostered instead for the Australia-South Africa series. Dickason said: “Shiv Sena had some issues with Aleem and went to the BCCI offices in Mumbai. We’re certainly aware of that but don’t expect any real issues.
“I’ve spoken to Moeen and Adil and they seem OK to me. They haven’t expressed any doubts, but it’s certainly much better if the group stays as a group.”
Alastair Cook’s side will be surrounded by another strong security blanket during their seven-week stay. Between 1,400 and 2,000 cops a day protected the team during their series in Bangladesh.
And while there will not be the same number on duty in India, there will be armed outriders, police and troops following England’s players wherever they go.
Dickason added: “India will be similar to Bangladesh but a different layout. It won’t be as overt in India.
“The road clearances that we had in Bangladesh are usually reserved for heads of state. We probably won’t get that in India but we’ll get adequate transit protection.
“It all went very smoothly in Bangladesh and there were no breaches of security.”
India yesterday named a 15-man squad for the first two Tests that included FOUR spinners — a sign of the conditions they are expecting.
Ravi Ashwin, currently ranked the world’s best bowler, is joined by Ravi Jadeja, Amit Mishra and Jayant Yadav for the matches starting in Rajkot on Wednesday and Visakhapatnam on November 17.
India will play two and possible three of the spin quartet in the First Test.
Star batsman Rohit Sharma is out for the entire series with a hamstring problem.