Former India fast bowler Lakshmipathy Balaji has backed Virat Kohli to continue his good scoring form in England in the upcoming five-Test series, starting August 1.
At the same time, Balaji stressed on the need for the openers to step up and provide strong starts in order to make things easier for Kohli and the middle order.
English bowlers had created quite a lot of trouble for the MS Dhoni-led side in 2014 as the visitors squandered a one-match lead to end up losing the five-Test series 3-1.
Opener Murali Vijay (402 runs), along with Dhoni (349 runs) and Ajinkya Rahane (299 runs) managed to find ways to score runs on the tour but the failures of Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara came as a big blow to the Indian side.
Kohli struggled to put bat to ball as the right-hander managed only 134 runs over the five Test series at a paltry average of 13.4. James Anderson & Co. troubled the then No. 4 and exposed his weaknesses outside the off-stump.
'Kohli and middle order can put down any attack'
"Virat Kohli will 100% do well. He is our key batsman. His form is important for the team, especially at the start of the long series," Balaji told International Business Times, India.
He added: "At the same time, our openers' contribution will be of huge importance in England. If the openers contribute, Virat invariably dominates the scorecard. Either one of the openers needs to step up and play out a few sessions.
"If that is there, than you know Virat and our middle order's capability to put down any attack. We should be looking at managing the first 60 overs.
"The team has done well in the last one and half years in all conditions. We have come close in overseas conditions. If the batting stands tall, we have a good chance."
Kohli has improved ever since the horrid run in the 2014 series. The Indian captain has been next to none when it comes to dominating bowling attacks across all three formats of the game.
The 29-year-old heads into the series, which is being touted as one of the biggests tests of his career, on the back of some noteworthy performances in South Africa and the recently-concluded limited-overs series.
Dinesh Karthik has an important role in England: Balaji
Meanwhile, Balaji pointed spoke about the importance of having an experienced middle-order batsmen in Dinesh Karthik, who has the experience of playing in England.
"We need an experienced batsman. He [Karthik] has already played in England. In fact, he opened the batting with Wasim Jaffer and we won the series. He has an important role," the 36-year-old former pacer said.
The 32-year-old wicket keeper, who will be replacing an injured Wriddhiman Saha, played a pivotal during India's historic series win in 2007 as he collected 263 runs, including three half-centuries, after being asked to open the batting alongside Wasim Jaffer.
Karthik played his first Test in eight years against Afghanistan in the one-off match last month in Bengaluru. He is expected to make it to the starting line-up despite the presence of young Rishabh Pant, who got his maiden Test call-up for the upcoming series.
