Graeme Swann and Ian Bell to coach England Lions against India

The pair, who earned a combined total of 465 England caps between them across all three formats, will work with a squad under the leadership of Neil Killeen.

The series takes place in Ahmedabad, with a two-day game starting on Friday and three four-day matches to follow at the Narendra Modi Stadium.

A Lions squad captained by Lancashire's Josh Bohannon and including capped Test players Matthew Potts, Keaton Jennings, Matt Fisher and Alex Lees will be on hand to provide cover for England's Test series in India later this month.

Killeen, the England and Wales Cricket Board's elite pace bowling coach, will look for Swann to continue his recent work developing spin prospects such as Jack Carson and Callum Parkinson, while Bell takes over mentoring the batting group when he arrives on January 18.

Former India wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik is also linking up with the Lions, sharing his local knowledge for nine days in the early stages of the trip, while Richard Dawson and Carl Hopkinson complete the coaching staff.

ECB 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."

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