CHENNAI: A full-strength England cricket team arrived here on Monday amid tight security to resume their India tour, which was thrown into doubt following the terror attacks in Mumbai.
Kevin Pietersen's men flew in from their training base in Abu Dhabi after receiving final security clearance on Sunday night.
The players were whisked away to their hotel by heavily armed security personnel immediately after their arrival.
Meanwhile, heavily-armed guards patrolled the boundary of Chennai's Chidambaram Stadium as the city prepared to host this week's first Test between the two countries.
City police and commandos cordoned off the stadium, situated by the Bay of Bengal, with heavily-armed personnel lining the boundary line as some of the Indian team practiced on Monday.
The one-day series between the two teams was cut short following the attacks that killed at least 171 people in India's financial capital and England returned home after the last two games were called off, with the hosts leading 5-0.
International Cricket Council chiefs spoke to officials from both countries to push for a resumption of the tour, while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) promised extreme security measures and moved the venues for the tests.
The first Test starting on Thursday was switched to Chennai from Ahmedabad and the second Test to Mohali (Dec. 19-23) from Mumbai.
Chennai city police commissioner told a news conference on Monday that a 3000-strong force drawn from police and commando units had been assigned for player security.
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