India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik will work with England Lions on their red-ball tour of the country this month.
Karthik, who has played 26 Tests, 94 one-day internationals and 26 T20 internationals for India, will link up with the Lions for nine days at the start of the trip as a batting consultant.
The Lions – who will be captained by Lancashire batter Josh Bohannon as they play India A in three four-day matches following a two-day warm-up – will also be coached by Ian Bell and Graeme Swann, with Bell replacing Karthik as batting consultant from mid-January and Swann acting as a mentor for the whole tour.
Bell and Swann were part of the England side that beat India 2-1 in a Test series in 2012, with off-spinner Swann taking a leading 20 wickets and batter Bell scoring a century in the drawn fourth Test.
They have been part of the Lions’ coaching staff before and return alongside head coach Neil Killeen and assistant coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson.
The tour begins with the two-day warm-up in Ahmedabad across January 12 and 13 before the three four-day matches in the same city, starting on January 17.
Opening batters Keaton Jennings and Alex Lees and seam bowlers Matthew Fisher and Mathew Potts are the players in the squad to have made Test appearances for the full England side.
Matthew Potts is in the England squad for the three four-day matches
England men’s performance director Mo Bobat said: “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.
“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.
“It’s great to have such a strong coaching group supporting our players for what should be an exciting challenge. The group has a deep and diverse set of experiences and expertise.”
England Lions in India schedule (all games in Ahmedabad)
- 12-13 January – two day-warm-up vs India A
- 17-20 January – four-day game vs India A
- 24-27 January – four-day game vs India A
- 1-4 February – four-day game vs India A
England Lions squad
- Josh Bohannon (Lancashire, captain)
- Kasey Aldridge (Somerset)
- Brydon Carse (Durham)
- Jack Carson (Sussex)
- James Coles (Sussex)
- Matt Fisher (Yorkshire)
- Keaton Jennings (Lancashire)
- Tom Lawes (Surrey)
- Alex Lees (Durham)
- Dan Mousley (Warwickshire)
- Callum Parkinson (Durham)
- Matt Potts (Durham)
- Ollie Price (Gloucestershire)
- James Rew (Somerset)
- Ollie Robinson (Durham)
