New Delhi: The Indian hockey team will be touring Pakistan for the first time in five years in September. They will play four Tests before hosting the arch-rivals in a return series a month later.

As per the itinerary announced by the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) on Tuesday, India will play matches in Karachi (Sept. 25), Quetta (Sept. 27), Peshawar (Sept. 29) and Lahore (Oct. 1), before hosting Pakistan in Delhi (Oct. 4), Chandigarh (Oct. 6), Hyderabad (Oct. 8) and Bangalore (Oct. 10).

The series is being staged in an attempt to revive the stalled bilateral hockey ties between the two countries, IHF president K.P.S. Gill said.

“The Indo-Pak series is likely to be an annual affair and we believe this regular exchange would be the best thing to happen to hockey in both the countries,” Gill said.

The last time both the sides played a bilateral series was in 1999 when India hosted four matches and Pakistan staged five Tests.

Gill made it clear that there would be no prize money on offer for the teams, but added the players would stand to benefit financially from the series.

Gill described the Olympic draw that has pitted India against title favourites Holland in their first match, as a “good one”. “We expect it to be a tough match. But it’s always good to play a tough match in the beginning,” he said. Gill ruled out struggling-to-be-fit penalty corner expert Jugraj Singh’s chances of playing in the Olympics.

THE ITINERARY

Sept. 25: Karachi; Sept. 27: Quetta; Sept. 29: Peshawar; Oct. 1: Lahore; Oct. 4: New Delhi; Oct. 6: Chandigarh; Oct. 8: Hyderabad; Oct. 10: Bangalore

Help for Vivek Singh

Meanwhile, the IHF announced financial assistance worth Rs one lakh for Olympian Vivek Singh, undergoing treatment for cancer in Mumbai.

“We are sanctioning Rs one lakh to Vivek Singh,” Gill said.

“This amount is for the time being. We will be providing more funds to him out of the profit from the Indo-Pak series,” he added. (PTI)