NEW DELHI, Dec 7: India said on Tuesday its national cricket team's Bangladesh tour could begin, after a threat from an Islamic militant group prompted a security review.

Indian security experts have assessed the situation in Dhaka, where the first test is scheduled to start on Thursday, after the militant threat against the Indian team, an Indian cricket board official said.

"The government has cleared the Dhaka matches and the squad will leave tomorrow from Calcutta," Rajiv Shukla, vice-president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, said.

"The security team will now travel to Chittagong and they will then advise us whether we can play there," Shukla said. The second and final Test is scheduled to start in the port city of Chittagong on Dec 16. The first of three one-day games is also scheduled for Chittagong, followed by two in Dhaka.

The security team went to Bangladesh after India's ambassador, Veena Sikri, said in Dhaka on Sunday that the embassy had received a letter from the Harkat-ul-Jihad group threatening the players. -Reuters