Dinesh Karthik, the renowned Indian cricketer, is set to join the England Lions as a batting consultant during the initial nine days of their tour to India, spanning from January 10 to 18. The tour will commence with a two-day warm-up game starting on January 12 at the Narendra Modi Stadium Ground ‘B’ in Ahmedabad.
Subsequently, the first four-day match is scheduled to kick off on January 17 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Expressing enthusiasm about Karthik’s involvement, England Men’s Performance Director, Mo Bobat, stated, “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.”
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Dinesh Karthik, 38, has previously been associated with Sky Sports and contributed as part of the commentary team during the World Test Championship final and the Ashes held in England in 2023. His wealth of experience is expected to provide valuable insights to the England Lions squad as they prepare for the challenges of Test cricket in India.
JUST IN: Dinesh Karthik will spend nine days as batting consultant with England Lions in the lead-up to their series against India A in Ahmedabad 🦁 pic.twitter.com/MksA9kQJ0B
— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 10, 2024
On January 18, former England cricketer Ian Bell will take over the role from Karthik. Additionally, Graeme Swann, a teammate of Bell, renowned for his pivotal role in England’s Test series win over India in 2012, will join the coaching staff as a mentor and remain with the team throughout the tour.
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Mo Bobat expressed confidence in the capabilities of both Ian Bell and Graeme Swann, stating, “They both bring fantastic experiences to their respective coaching and mentoring roles.”
Here are the two squads:
India A: Abhimanyu Easwaran (Captain), Sai Sudharsan, Rajat Patidar, Sarfaraz Khan, Pradosh Ranjan Paul, KS Bharat (WK), Manav Suthar, Pulkit Narang, Navdeep Saini, Tushar Deshpande, Vidwath Kaverappa, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Akash Deep
England Lions: Josh Bohannon (capt), 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, Ollie Robinson
