West Australian cricket legend Justin Langer warns Aussies to never write of champions like Virat Kohli

Never write off a champion.

It’s the stern disclaimer West Australian cricket legend Justin Langer is echoing ahead of a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that looks destined for the history books.

Despite having held the Trophy since 2015 and defeated Australia in Australia in two straight visits, a star-studded India team arrived underdogs on our shores last week.

The fanatical cricket nation is coming off a shock home series clean sweep loss to New Zealand, and talisman Virat Kohli, who is entering what is almost certainly his last Test tour of Australia, is battling through the toughest period of his illustrious career.

In his past 10 knocks, Kohli has passed 50 just once, and the critics, including Aussie legend Ricky Ponting, have dissected the megastar’s struggles ahead of the heavyweight series.

But Langer was quick to dispel India’s underdog tag.

“One thing you never do is write off champions, and that’s in every sport, because they are a champion for a reason,” he told The West Australian.

“In India, there are one and a half billion cricket-loving people, and then count all the rest around the world, they expect nothing but excellence, and the team will be under intense pressure, so how they fight back will be important.

“And they’ll be getting written off for being too old, but people say that all the time, and I just can’t wait to see them play.

“I just hope, if this is the last time (Kohli) is out here, people enjoy it because he is a superstar, so is Rohit Sharma, so is (Ravi) Ashwin, so is (Ravi) Jadeja, so is (Jasprit) Bumrah.

“It’s the same with the Australians; the bowling attack is a very senior attack now... so really enjoy it while you can; they are not going to be around forever.”

Kohli has a remarkable affinity for Australian pitches, scoring more than 1300 runs at 54.08 with six centuries in his 13 tests in the country.

However, against New Zealand, Kohli averaged just 15.50.

In ominous signs, the No.4 batter appeared to acclimatise quickly as the squad trained at the WACA in the lead-up to Friday’s series opener.

Langer also warned India will be like a cornered animal when Australia face them in Perth as they begin their quest to make amends for their loss against New Zealand.

“India losing to New Zealand is a bit like North Melbourne beating Brisbane in the grand final at the moment,” he said.

“And not for one millisecond is that disrespect for New Zealand, because they are the great overachievers; they are brilliant. I think they’d won two Test matches (in India), and to win the series 3-0, that’s an amazing achievement.

“They’ve just been beaten three-nil by New Zealand, so India will be humbled by that and equally determined to remedy it because the pressure on them will be intense.”