The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) are searching for a new Test head coach after parting ways with Brendon McCullum, and former Indian wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik believes that Andy Flower is the best candidate, but the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) job is the major hurdle.
Karthik said that the former England coach Andy Flower is one of the finest coaches in the world and has all the qualities needed to lead England’s Test team.
But he is not sure whether Flower can actually accept such a demanding role because of his busy coaching commitments around the world. Amid this, Jacob Bethell to open as England announce playing XI for 1st ODI vs India; Tom Banton dropped.
Dinesh Karthik picks Andy Flower for England job
During his discussion with Nasser Hussain on his podcast, Dinesh Karthik said that Andy Flower should definitely be among the candidates being considered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
However, Karthik admitted that he would be surprised if Flower agrees to take the job because his calendar is already packed with franchise cricket.
Dinesh Karthik said in his social media video, “Genuinely now, in all seriousness, I think he’ll be a great candidate. But I would be very surprised if he took it, considering where England is and his packed schedule as well. He used to do a lot of leagues, and I’m sure he didn’t have time.”
Dinesh Karthik says RCB contract is biggest hurdle for Andy Flower’s England role
The commentator has further noted that Flower is currently involved in different T20 leagues and also has a coaching contract with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the IPL. Karthik believes that managing both roles together is almost not possible despite the ECB hinting that they are ready to allow the coach to do the IPL jointly along with the Test coaching.
Explaining his point of view, Karthik has recalled how England has already faced criticism a few months back when Jofra Archer and Jacob Bethell missed the Test matches against New Zealand because of IPL 2026 commitments. Amid this, Brendon McCullum opens up on Test sacking, blames poor results against India and Australia.
Karthik warns England could face IPL vs International Cricket problem again
So, the RCB mentor fears a similar issue could arise if Flower becomes England’s Test coach. Since he is already committed to RCB, there could be situations where he has to miss England’s preparations or even some Test matches during the IPL season.
Karthik further noted, “With Andy Flower, he would obviously already have a pre-signed contract with RCB, which would mean that he would miss parts of all those. How would it be? Will it be okay for England in the preparation for the Ashes if they don’t have a coach for one or two Test matches? I heard there’s a Test match against Bangladesh in May next year. And if Andy were doing RCB, that could be a challenge as well.”
Dinesh Karthik calls Andy Flower one of the world’s best coaches
Yet Karthik made it clear that the former Zimbabwe captain remains one of the best coaches in the world and would be a fantastic choice if both sides – he and ECB can find a way to manage the scheduling conflicts.
He signed off by saying, “Is he good? He’s probably one of the best in the world. Will he have time? That’s the question. I would be very surprised if the answer were a yes. But if they found a good partnership together with all of it being settled, why not?”
🔴 RCB COACH ANDY FLOWER REJECT ENGLAND? – DINESH KARTHIK DROPS BIG HINT 🤯
🎙️: When Nasser Hussain asked whether Andy Flower could become England’s Test coach.
– Dinesh Karthik called him one of the best coaches in the world and a strong candidate.
– However, he believes… pic.twitter.com/WVsKfPpzoW
— Sam (@cricsam02) July 13, 2026
