Pietersen hails Virat Kohli as ‘phenomenal’

"Kohli is as good as it gets. He is right up there. Root has good numbers, but it's unfair to even compare Joe with Virat because his numbers are just phenomenal,”  Pietersen told The Cricketer magazine.

“He plays so aggressively - sometimes it's like - are you serious? The way he makes big runs for his team so often is just remarkable."

Root scored 73 on his Test debut in the fourth and final Test on England’s previous tour of India in 2012, a series that the visitors won 2-1 with Pietersen racking up 338 runs in the series. Root, 25, has amassed over 4,000 runs in 48 Tests at a remarkable average of 53.

A swashbuckler himself, Pietersen went on about the Indian Test captain’s batting exploits in ODIs: “

 “I switched on the TV and saw him play that 85 not out at Dharamsala [against New Zealand] - goodness, that was amazing. He just has that ability to rotate the strike and find boundaries. His ODI record is a joke. Such an old head on young-ish shoulders.”

Pietersen advised the visitors to look for boundary options in the upcoming Tests, and cautioned them about wily off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin.

"Ashwin is a good bowler. He uses his variations very well, especially the way he approaches the crease. He's always looking to attack and outfox a batsman. Batsmen have got to find themselves a boundary option in India. It's all about rotating the strike and maneuvering the field. I was OK in India. I enjoyed it there. I made plenty of hundreds there,” he said.

Top-ranked India are high on confidence following their 3-0 Test rout of New Zealand while England are recovering from a surprise Test defeat at the hands of minnows Bangladesh.