29 February 2004	Sunday	08 Muharram 1425

NEW DELHI, Feb 28: India on Saturday named Ratnakar Shetty as the national cricket team's manager and Amrit Mathur as its media officer for next month's tour of Pakistan, but declined to send a bowling coach.

Indian captain Saurav Ganguly had told reporters on Thursday that a bowling coach would definitely accompany the team, leading to speculation that retired Indian pace spearhead Javagal Srinath would be given the job.

But Jagmohan Dalmiya, president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said on Saturday he had not received any request from either Ganguly or chief coach John Wright about hiring a bowling specialist.

Former Australian left-armer Bruce Reid had served as the Indian team's bowling coach on the recent tour of Australia, and Srinath was expected to take over for Pakistan.

"There was never any discussion that we needed a bowling coach for Pakistan," Dalmiya told reporters after a meeting of the BCCI working committee here.

Shetty, who is the BCCI's joint secretary, and Mathur were part of the three-man Indian delegation that visited Pakistan earlier this month to study security and players' arrangements at various venues.

It was on the recommendation of the third member of the delegation, government security expert Yashovardhan Azad, that India declined to play Test matches in Karachi and Peshawar during the 39-day tour.

India will play five One-day Internationals, followed by three Tests, from March 10 to April 17 on their first full tour of Pakistan since 1989.

The Indian team, which will be selected on Monday, will undergo a three-day conditioning camp in Kolkata from March 7 to 9, Dalmiya said.

The team will depart for Lahore from New Delhi by a special Indian Airlines flight on March 10.

Dalmiya dismissed media reports that the Indian board would abandon the tour at the first sign of trouble in Pakistan.

"Any decision to call off the tour will be taken only after consulting the Indian and Pakistani governments," Dalmiya said.

"I am confident such a situation will not arise. This is a very important tour for both Asian and world cricket, and I appeal to the media to show restraint in its reporting.

"I am grateful to the Pakistan Cricket Board for accommodating our many requests. If we have been demanding it is only because we want India's first full tour there in 15 years to go off smoothly."-AFP