Gooch warns England against 'dangerous' Kohli

London, July 28 - Former English skipper Graham Gooch on Saturday cautioned England against India captain Virat Kohli, calling him as a "dangerous customer", who wanted to improve his poor record against them in the upcoming five-Test rubber, starting August 1 in Birmingham.

"Virat Kohli is the top-ranked player in the world right now. And I think he is a really dangerous customer for England because he has the motivation that he wants to improve his record in this country," Gooch told BCCI in a video interview.

"Every player wants to be known to be able to play well all-round the world in all different conditions," he added.

Commenting on the playing styles of Kohli and his English counterpart Joe Root, Gooch said both are world class and match-winning players.

"I think they are both are world class players in all formats of the game. I think nowadays every cricketer has to be very adaptable. You've got Tests, 50-over cricket and lots of T20s.

"It is difficult to judge different players as I think they both are match-winning players. I love watching Kohli and Root bat as they play all-round the wicket. 

"They both are very positive, they both are very focused and I like to see that," he added.

Gooch also urged fans not to judge either of the two just on the basis of how many runs they score, but the kind of impact their scores have on the team's ultimate result.

"People who watch, shouldn't remember how many runs they score or what innings they played. What they should remember is when Kohli or Root play an innings that help their teams win the match, because that's what counts," he said.

"Not the number of runs. It might be a fifty in difficult conditions or a 150 on a flat wicket when your performance helps your side win the match, that's what you should be proud of," Gooch added.

Video: MS Dhoni - The Master Finisher

IANS