Dinesh Karthik to work with England Lions during India tour

Neil Killeen, England's lead fast-bowling coach, oversaw the pre-Christmas training camp in the United Arab Emirates and has been put in charge for the series against India A

Neil Killeen is set lead England Lions on their upcoming tour of India and will be able to pick the brains of Dinesh Karthik, who is lending his support for nine days.

Killeen, England's lead fast-bowling coach, oversaw the pre-Christmas training camp in the United Arab Emirates.

He will be joined by two of the last England squad to win a Test series in India, with Graeme Swann and Ian Bell both onboard, as well as Karthik, the former India wicketkeeper who has since become a prominent, popular pundit, while still also playing domestically.

Karthik is set to join the group towards the start of the trip.

"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," said Mo Bobat, England's outgoing performance director.

"They both bring fantastic experiences to their respective coaching and mentoring roles.

^{Neil Killeen will head up the trip (Stu Forster/Getty Images)}

"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."

England support coaches Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson are also part of the tour, which includes three unofficial Tests at Ahmedabad against India A.

Bobat added: "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."

Josh Bohannon is set to captain a squad that features a mixture of players with international experience - Brydon Carse, Matt Fisher, Keaton Jennings, Alex Lees and Matt Potts - and those coming up the pathway, including James Rew and Ollie Price.

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