NEW DELHI, June 5: After a one year hiatus, India’s annual hockey Test series against arch-rivals Pakistan will be back on track later this year even though its timing is not what ad-hoc committee here would have ideally liked.

Aslam Sher Khan, who leads ad-hoc selection committee, said India would have loved to have it before the Junior Asia Cup — scheduled for July 8-18 in Hyderabad — so that under-21 players could be given some exposure. “But Pakistan’s packed schedule before the Beijing Olympics came in the way. The ad-hoc committee has been having negotiations with the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) officials for a possible India-Pakistan Test series, and on principle they have agreed. But the series won’t be possible before Junior Asia Cup,” Aslam said.

“We wanted the series to take place in July but there is hardly any space in Pakistan’s schedule as they are busy preparing for the Olympics. But they have committed to us and agreed to play series after the Beijing Games,” he said.—Agencies