England Squad Land in India Amid High Security

The England players who abandoned their tour of India only nine days ago are back in the country.

The first of two flights bearing England players and officials touched down at Chennai airport amid high security and acclaim from an expectant crowd of roughly 1,000.

England, led by their captain Kevin Pietersen, were met by members of India's Rapid Action Force, in blue combat uniforms, who hastened them on to a coach to the hotel in the city center.

England's arrival caused a buzz of excitement and the clicking of camera phones from the crowd as police built an impromptu barrier with luggage trolleys.

England officials briefly met Chennai's head of police before the first wave of players were transported amid police sirens through the most congested city streets in India.

When the England players arrived at the Taj Coromandal hotel they were garlanded and greeted with the red dot – the aarti tikka – the Hindu custom which wishes health and prosperity.

England had to split into two flights because of a lack of peak-season availability. The bulk of the players arrived directly from Abu Dhabi on Etihad Airways with the remainder following a short time later on an Emirates flight from Dubai.

For England and their officials there is no time for rest. Hugh Morris, England's director of cricket, Sean Morris, the head of the Players' Association, and the England board's security expert Reg Dickason will leave immediately tomorrow for Mohali, in the north of the country, where they will check security arrangements for the second Test.

The trio, whose judgment that the Chennai Test could go ahead persuaded England to travel from Abu Dhabi, will discuss protection with ground, hotel and security personnel.

IS Bindra, the president of the Punjab Cricket Association, insists that there will be no change of venue for the second Test. "The Test will take place in Mohali as planned," he insisted.

That impression also came from Sean Morris yesterday when he blamed the delay in confirming Mohali as a Test venue as "purely a time factor" and said that there were just "a couple of small details that we need to sort out".

England have been promised as many as 3,000 police on duty at the Chennai Test and with the crowd on the first two days expected to be no more than 15,000, that represents one policeman for every five spectators.