India vs England: Virat Kohli should go out and express himself and play with a lot of freedom in T20Is, says VVS Laxman

Mumbai, March 11: After winning the Test series 3-1 against England and making it to the finals of the ICC Test Championship, Team India will now shift their focus on the white-ball format as they take on the Eoin Morgan-led English side in the five-T20I series, starting Friday (March 12). Former India cricketer VVS Laxman has cautioned captain Kohli the rest of the batsmen of England's potent pace attack.

Laxman also suggested the India captain Kohli to play with positive intent and with a lot of confidence because the Indian batting line-up comprises match-winners like Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya.

Speaking exclusively on Star Sports show GAME PLAN, Laxman spoke about how much of a threat England bowlers will pose for Kohli, and said, "I definitely think it's a strong fast bowling unit as far as England is concerned because they have got a lot of variations; they've got pace in the form of Mark Wood and Archer. Good death bowling options in the form of Jordan; Ben Stokes can be their all-rounder. But their spin department looks a little weak compared to their fast bowling department.

"But as such, I feel that Virat Kohli is a class batsman, he's an outstanding batsman and with depth and quality in the Indian batting line-up, I think he should go and express himself. It's not necessary for him to play the anchor role, because we know that he's a stroke player. If he plays with positive intent, if he plays his high percentage shots, not only his strike rate will be high, but his consistency also will be there for everyone to see - he's a match-winner. With Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul opening the innings, and then you have got Shreyas Iyer, Hardik Pandya, Rishabh Pant, I think they have a lot of depth. So, Virat Kohli should go out and express himself and play with a lot of freedom, and that's when he's very dangerous."

The 46-year-old stylish batsman of yesteryears also suggested the upcoming series will be a perfect opportunity for both the teams to test their bench strength ahead of the World T20, "They know that they are the number one T20 playing nation in world cricket, we saw what they did in the 50-over format - how much they are focused on winning the World Cup. I think it's the same goal for Morgan and the England team. It's a great opportunity for Team India because you are playing five matches in your home condition, followed by IPL and Asia Cup before the T20 World Cup. It's a great opportunity to test your bench, which is why I feel the squad is very formidable - as far as the Indian squad is concerned."