Former BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur would return to Pakistan as the Indian squad's manager after more than two decades when the 16-member team leaves for Lahore from Delhi on January 5, 2006.
Dungarpur was the manager of the Indian team on its tour to Pakistan in 1984 which had to be cut short after two drawn Tests following the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
After formally announcing Dungarpur's name as the team manager, BCCI secretary Niranjan Shah said that there would be a media director and assistant manager accompanying the team on the 46-day tour set to conclude on February 19 when the team is slated to return to India.
Wing Commander M Baladitya, who was the team cum media manager in the home series against Sri Lanka and South Africa, would be the assistant manager while G S Walia would be the media director and Ramesh Mane would be its masseur, Shah announced.
The team would also be accompanied by coach Greg Chappell and support staff comprising John Gloster (physio), Gregory King (trainer), Ian Frazer (biomechanist) and Ramesh Mane (masseur).
The team is scheduled to play a warm-up three-day match at Lahore from January 7 before plunging into the three-Test series commencing on January 13 and to be played at Lahore, Faisalabad and Karachi.
The Tests would be followed by the five-match one-day international series from February 6 with Peshawar, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Multan and Karachi as the venues.
"The itinerary is subject to final approval of the Government of India", Shah said.
The Indian team's Pak tour itinerary (subject to final approval of the Indian Government):
Jan 5, 2006: Arrival in Lahore
Jan 6: Nets
Jan 7-9: Warm-up match, Lahore
Jan 10-12: Rest/Nets (Eid holidays)
Jan 13-17: 1st Test, Lahore
Jan 18-20: Nets
Jan 21-25: 2nd Test, Faisalabad
Jan 26-28: Nets
Jan 29-Feb 2: 3rd Test, Karachi
Feb 3-5: Nets
Feb 6: 1st ODI, Peshawar
Feb 7: Rest/Nets
Feb 8: 2nd ODI, Rawalpindi
Feb 9-11: Nets (Moharram holidays)
Feb 12: 3rd ODI, Lahore
Feb 13-14: Nets
Feb 15: 4th ODI, Multan
Feb 16-17: Nets
Feb 18: 5th ODI, Karachi
Feb 19: Departure for home