Indian captain Virat Kohli is one of the best T20 batsmen the world has ever seen.

At international level, in 45 T20I matches, Kohli has notched up 1657 runs at 57.13. A truly Bradman-esque average in the shortest format of the game.

Not surprisingly, on the eve of the first T20I between India and England, the 28-year-old seemed unfazed by the prospect of facing left-arm fast bowler Tymal Mills, who is known to bowl at 90+ mph consistently.

“I have played many bowlers with the calibre of bowling 90 mph, so it makes no difference to me. Yes, I will make a comment on Mills’s bowling only after playing against him,” said Kohli.

Kohli has experience of captaining Yuzcendra Chahal and Parvez Rasool in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and he is confident that both have what it takes to succeed at the top level.

“Everyone has seen Yuzvendra’s performance and even Rasool has played under me at RCB. He is pretty confident he can bowl with the new ball against the most attacking guys,” he added.

“These two guys are very smart about their bowling. I am sure they will able to replicate it at this level. It is probably a breakthrough series for them.

“They haven’t played a big series yet so this might be the perfect opportunity to seal their spots as T20 specialist spinners for the future,” said Kohli.

Suresh Raina is making a return to the Indian team for the first time since the ICC World T20 in March 2016 and Kohli believes that the Gujarat Lions captain has a lot to offer in the shorter formats.

“We still believe he [Raina] has enough to contribute in shorter formats. It is a series of opportunities for a lot of guys to seal their spot of whatever you want to call it,” said the Indian skipper.

“Everyone is included in the squad is because we feel that they can contribute. At the end of the day, it is up to the individual to perform. Hopefully he does get back into the groove, he certainly has a lot to offer.”