England's troubled tour of India was placed in further jeopardy today when Indian officials confirmed that Virender Sehwag was available for selection for the first Test at Mohali next Monday.

Jagmohan Dalmiya, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), said that as far as the board was concerned the current match between South Africa and India was an official Test, and that Sehwag had therefore served out the one-Test ban imposed on him by ICC match refereee Mike Denness during the second Test against South Africa at Port Elizabeth.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, Dalmiya made it clear that Sehwag would be eligible for selection for the first Test against England at Mohali, starting on December 3.

The BCCI decision directly challenges the ICC missive that Sehwag cannot play in the Mohali Test, as the match at Centurion has been declared unofficial by ICC. As far as it is concerned, Sehwag's one-Test ban has not yet taken effect.

"In my mind the current match against South Africa is (an) official (Test) which will make Sehwag eligible to play against England," Dalmiya said. He added that the BCCI regards the Centurion match as official, since it is a five-day match played by the national teams of both countries under the supervision of ICC-recognised umpires.

"However, we have an open mind and if somebody can explain to us that we are wrong in assuming the match is official we are prepared to listen."

If Sehwag is included for the Mohali Test, England may pull out of the tour. Earlier today, England captain Nasser Hussain said his team would follow instructions of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the ICC.

In another salvo that challenged the authority of the ICC, the BCCI said that it will not accept Denness as the match referee in any matches in future involving India. He said that Denness's decisions were "too harsh and biased" and asked the ICC to have a code of conduct for match referees, just as it has one for players.

The BCCI has also decided to challenge ICC's contention that India have forfeited the Centurion Test, and that South Africa have consequently won the three-Test series 2-0.

Dalmiya said that the decision to reject Denness as the match referee was a joint decision by the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) and the BCCI, and that, as a result, awarding the match was unacceptable and would be "strongly challenged".

The hardline adopted by the BCCI comes in the face of threat by ICC president Malcolm Gray that ICC had the authority to expel member countries on disciplinary grounds. Gray was quoted as saying that a majority of the ICC members are opposed to India's rebellious stance.

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