NEW DELHI, Dec 28: India’s cricket chiefs on Wednesday ordered the national team to leave in two batches for next month’s Pakistan tour to enable the entire squad to gain match practice.

Twelve of the 16 players, led by captain Rahul Dravid and coach Greg Chappell, will depart for Lahore on Jan 5 and take part in the three-day practice match there from Jan 7-9.

Four others, including former captain Sourav Ganguly, will stay back and play the next round of Ranji Trophy first-class matches from Jan 3-6, Indian cricket board secretary Niranjan Shah said.

Ganguly, spinner Anil Kumble, opening batsman Virender Sehwag and reserve wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel will join the rest of the tourists on Jan 7, six days before the first Test begins in Lahore on Jan 13.

“The decision to split the team was taken after consulting Dravid and Chappell,” said Shah.

“We needed only 12 players for the practice match in Lahore and the other four would have sat out doing nothing. At least now everyone will be occupied.”

India are due to play three Tests and five one-dayers on the seven-week tour of Pakistan, the third contest between the arch-rivals in the last two years.

India’s chief selector Kiran More had on Monday criticised Ganguly for skipping two Ranji Trophy games after being dropped for the third Test against Sri Lanka earlier this month.

Shah said Ganguly had spoken to More on the phone on Tuesday and told him prior family commitments had prevented him from playing.

“The matter is now closed,” he said. “There is no question of taking any action against Ganguly.

Ganguly will play for Bengal against Tamil Nadu, Sehwag will lead Delhi against Kumble’s Karnataka and Patel will represent Gujarat against Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy.

The Indian team for the practice match in Lahore will comprise:

Dravid, Gautam Gambhir, Wasim Jaffar, Venkatsai Laxman, Sachin Tendulkar, Yuvraj Singh, Mahendra Dhoni, Irfan Pathan, Ajit Agarkar, Zaheer Khan, Rudra Pratap Singh and Harbhajan Singh.—AFP