'Going to be a very interesting story': Pietersen eager to see Kohli's response after Rahane's Australia triumph

The one thing Pietersen is really keen to see is how Kohli responds to his role as India captain, especially after under Ajinkya Rahane, the team achieved one of its best Test wins of all-time.

Former batsman Kevin Pietersen can't keep calm ahead of India's four-Test series against England starting February 5 in Chennai. Just the number of superstars that will be up against each makes the India-England series mouth-watering. The series will mark the return of Virat Kohli, whereas for England, all-rounder Ben Stokes and fast bowler Jofra Archer will be making their comebacks after being rested for Sri Lanka Tests.

Ajinkya Rahane (L) and Virat Kohli. (Getty Images)

However, the one thing Pietersen is really keen to see is how Kohli responds to his role as India captain, especially after under Ajinkya Rahane, the team achieved one of its best Test wins of all-time. There have been numerous debates regarding India's captaincy, with many believing that Rahane should take over as captain of the Test team given his undefeated record as skipper. However, the fact remains that Kohli, with 33 wins, is India's most successful Test captain and he isn't going anywhere anytime soon.

"Kohli, Anderson, Ajinkya Rahane, how’s he going to go, being captain in Australia and then coming back and Kohli, how’s that dynamic going to work? It’s going to be a very interesting dynamic. I think that might be, something that is talked about a lot during this series. Then you have got Jofra Archer, can he knock over Pujara? Bumrah’s back," Pietersen said on The Cricket Connected Show on Star Sports.

"There are so many different permutations that could happen in this Test series, but I think there’s going to be a very interesting story that’s going to run through this series – Kohli comes back as captain after Ajinkya Rahane was so good in Australia."

Pietersen weighed in on how things appear for England, who are coming off a 2-0 series win in Sri Lanka. Their captain Joe Root has been in terrific touch with the bat but there are some concerns about the rotation policy that has been adopted by the ECB, due to which not all their best players have made the Test tour of India.

"I know Joe Root has been outstanding in Sri Lanka, so he’s clearly somebody who’s going to come in with a lot of form. England’s opening batsmen – have they got enough time to turn their techniques around," Pietersen wondered. "Sibley did well in the last Test match. Has Crawley got enough time to turn his technique around? Is Burns going to come back in? Ben Stokes is there, and he’s an absolute super star. Is Anderson going to be able to do the business?"

None the less, Pietersen couldn't be more excited for the Test series, expecting to be a riveting contest between two wonderful Test sides in the world. "You have got Ashwin, Bumrah, Kohli, Rahane, Pujara... there are too many super stars for me to sit here and pick one player in particular. I just think that it’s going to be a fantastic series – slow wickets, but two great teams," Pietersen added.