Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will join Graeme Swann and Ian Bell in a star-studded coaching staff for the England Lions trip to India, which would precede the highly anticipated five-match Test series between India and England.
England Lions will play up to three four-day matches against India A during their trip to India from January 12 to February 4. England has named a strong squad for the three four-day matches, two of which will coincide with the senior sides’ Test series.
India and England will play a five-test series from January 25 to March 11. The team will also play a warm-up match, with all four games set to take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium.
According to the ECB, Dinesh Karthik will spend nine days as a batting consultant with the England Lions on the India tour.
Dinesh Karthik primarily serves as a replacement for Lions’ batting consultant Ian Bell, who is currently on Big Bash League duty with the Melbourne Renegades. He will be working with head coach Neil Killeen, assistant coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson, and former English spinner Graeme Swann as a mentor.
“It’s great to have such a strong coaching group supporting our players for what should be an exciting challenge versus India A. The group has a deep and diverse set of experiences and expertise,” England Men’s Performance Director Mo Bobat said.
“And it’s fantastic to have Dinesh Karthik with us for a part of our prep period and leading into the first Test. I’m sure the lads will love spending time with him and benefiting from his experience of what it takes to be successful at Test level in India,” Bobat added.
Dinesh Karthik has fallen out of favour with the Indian team since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia. He continues to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and has frequently been part of the commentary teams, including the Ashes series and ODI World Cup.
The Tamil Nadu wicket-keeper batter would be eager to exchange information with young England players during the tour.
England Lions Squad for India tour: Josh Bohannon (c), Kasey Aldridge, Brydon Carse, Jack Carson, James Coles, Matt Fisher, Keaton Jennings, Tom Lawes, Alex Lees, Dan Mousley, Callum Parkinson, Matt Potts, Ollie Price, James Rew and Ollie Robinson.
