India wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik will be part of the England Lions coaching staff for their tour of the Asian country this month.
England’s senior fast bowling coach Neil Killleen will lead the side, reprising his role from last winter’s Sri Lanka tour, while former Test players Graeme Swann and Ian Bell will help mentor the group.
The Lions will play a two-day warm-up match against India ‘A’ in Ahmedabad from Friday, followed by three four-day matches across the course of the next month.
Karthik, who has represented India 180 times across formats, has been an increasingly prominent figure around English cricket in recent years following multiple stints working as a pundit and commentator on Sky Sports’s coverage.
He is set to spend nine days with the Lions at the start of the tour, bringing local knowledge to a group that will also act as back-up to the Test squad when their five-match series against India start later this month.
England’s senior set-up was criticised for not enlisting local expertise during the dismal 50-over World Cup campaign last year and they have already enlisted the help of West Indies legend Kieron Pollard for next year’s T20 equivalent in the USA and Caribbean.
“It’s fantastic to have Dinesh Karthik with us for a part of our prep period and leading into the first Test,” Mo Bobat, the England men’s performance director, said. “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.”
Swann and Bell were both part of England’s victory in India in 2012, the last time a touring side claimed series success. Senior coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson complete the staff.
““It’s great to have such a strong coaching group supporting our players for what should be an exciting challenge versus India A,” Bobat added. “The group has a deep and diverse set of experiences and expertise.
“Neil Killeen did an excellent job leading the Lions in Sri Lanka last year and will assume head coach responsibilities again.
“Similarly, Ian Bell and Graeme Swann have spent time around our Lions environments over the past year and will be well-placed to continue supporting the players, many of whom they already know well. They both bring fantastic experiences to their respective coaching and mentoring roles.
“Carl Hopkinson and Richard Dawson have extensive pathway experience and bring with them an England senior coaching perspective, and recent experience of Indian conditions.”
The Lions squad was named last month, with Keaton Jennings, Matthew Potts and Alex Lees among four Test-capped players called up, while seamer Brydon Carse is also involved having featured heavily for England’s white-ball sides on the recent tour of the West Indies.
