Ahmedabad out, Kolkata in?

Mumbai: The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) could well be slowly veering towards convincing its team to return to India for the Test series.

But this would happen only if the venue for the first Test is shifted from Ahmedabad. According to senior Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) officials the ECB has made a request to consider shifting the venue and it would be 'actively' looked at.

BCCI is officially tightlipped about the entire issue, but top sources told cricketnirvana.com that possible replacement for Ahmedabad could well be Kolkata. This is because as per the rotation policy of the Board, Eden Gardens is next in line to host a Test. Earlier late on Saturday night, the England players returned home to London in four batches. 

''They (ECB) are getting some security advice. But as far as we know they have been told that Chennai is fine. So they are okay with it for now. But for Ahmedabad they are concerned that the hotel is bang in the middle of the city. They have some concerns about that. So a request has come to have a re-look at the venue,'' a senior BCCI official told cricketnirvana.com

The other possible venues are Mohali or Bengaluru. ''We will look to avoid highly sensitive places like New Delhi at this crucial juncture,'' revealed the official.

As of now the ECB has already made one more request (already reported by cricketnirvana.com) that to have the three-day warm-up game played in the same city as the venue for the first Test. ''We have been asked to avoid too many changes of hotels. It would also not be a surprise if the three-dayer is converted into a two-day game,'' said the official.

England was due to play the Board President's XI at Baroda from December 5-7.

What has given the BCCI hope for the tour has been the revelations by ECB's security experts that there was ''really not that much of a threat'' to Westerners or British citizens as it was made out to be. ''Apart from one person coming out and talking about this threat, there has been no confirmation of a threat to Westerners in India. Infact the ECB have been following reports in the media and have come back to us saying that it is not as grave as it was made out to be,'' added the official.

The BCCI is also in touch with their English counterparts over reports that senior players like Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison do not want to tour India. ''That was the initial reaction. Since then the entire story has moved forward. The security experts of ECB have so far given some very positive indications. Each of their player is going to be informed of the security briefings and we are sure they will be convinced to come over,'' revealed the official.

So is Ahmedabad still uncertain as a venue? ''There is no assurance on their part that they are comfortable with Ahmedabad as the venue for the first Test. They have asked for a security review and say that they are looking for two safe venues. It all depends on the review they are conducting,'' added the BCCI official.

There is an outside chance that the England team's only warm-up game could also be scrapped. The BCCI is prepared for that as well, but the official revealed that the ECB has not been given that option as yet. There has been some talk of England conducting their warm-up games in Abu Dhabi but the BCCI has not been told anything about it right now.

But could the venues change all over again? ''We will have to wait till Monday evening before a final picture emerges,'' said the official.