Karthik roped in as cover for Ian Bell for first 9 days of Lions' tour of India.
During their tour of India from January 12 to February 4, England Lions are scheduled to play three four-day matches against India A. Dinesh Karthik has been appointed as consultant for the first nine days of the tour from 10th – 18th January.
He will be working alongside head coach Neil Killeen along with assistant coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson, while former English spinner Graeme Swann would also be a part of the coaching team as a mentor.
Ian Bell, who is the England Lions batting consultant, is currently in the Big Bash League on duty with Melbourne Renegades. Karthik has been roped in as cover for Bell.
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England Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat, said: “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. 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.”
“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.
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.
Schedule:
12-13 January: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium - Ground B, Ahmedabad
17-20 January: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
24-27 January: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
1-4 February: England Lions v India A, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
(PTI/ECB inputs)