MELBOURNE: Former Australia opener David Warner believes Virat Kohli will be among the contenders in the upcoming five-Test series and has warned his former teammates not to ignore the Indian batting master.

India will be aiming for a third successive series victory Down Under when the first test begins in Perth on Friday but mainstays Kohli and Rohit Sharma have concerns about their recent form.

Warner, who has had several dry spells throughout his 13-year test career, said Kohli’s performance of 1,352 runs on Australian soil and six centuries in 13 tests should be a cause for concern for the home team.

“I’m not worried about Virat Kohli being away from Australia, I’m worried about Virat Kohli in Australia. His average is 55,” Warner told reporters on Tuesday.

“He hasn’t got the wickets that the batsman would like to bat on and that scares me and Rohit Sharma… With good batting wickets, hopefully Virat will be among the runs this summer.”

Warner felt that the profile of the series, along with more favorable batting conditions, would bring out the best in the 36-year-old Kohli.

“I’ve always said you’re not in form, you’re running out of runs,” Warner added.

“The class and player he is, he knows how to push that button and turn his mentality towards big series and the Border-Gavaskar trophy, he’s always made a big series against us. I think that’s what Australia are afraid of.”

With the globalization of cricket, long gone are the days when touring sides were largely unknown when they arrived on Australian soil.

Warner knows most of the touring squad well from their spells in the Indian Premier League and has a close friendship with Kohli.

Saying that he predicted a 4-0 series win for Australia despite being cautious, Warner said, “Since the IPL started, I think they have moved towards playing side by side, loving each other, embracing each other’s cultures.”

“But when you step on the field that passion is still there, when you cross the line there’s still that fire in your belly.”