Never write off a champion.

It’s the stern disclaimer West Australian cricket legend Justin Langer is echoing ahead of a Border-Gavaskar Trophy series that looks destined for the history books.

Despite having held the Trophy since 2015 and defeated Australia in Australia in two straight visits, a star-studded India team arrived underdogs on our shores last week.

The fanatical cricket nation is coming off a shock home series clean sweep loss to New Zealand, and talisman Virat Kohli, who is entering what is almost certainly his last Test tour of Australia, is battling through the toughest period of his illustrious career.

In his past 10 knocks, Kohli has passed 50 just once, and the critics, including Aussie legend Ricky Ponting, have dissected the megastar’s struggles ahead of the heavyweight series.

But Langer was quick to dispel India’s underdog tag.

“One thing you never do is write off champions, and that’s in every sport, because they are a champion for a reason,” he told The West Australian.

“In India, there are one and a half billion cricket-loving people, and then count all the rest around the world, they expect nothing but excellence, and the team will be under intense pressure, so how they fight back will be important.