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'...it's very important that he scores runs (in the IPL) because it will put him in a good frame going to the World Cup.'
It is imperative for Virat Kohli to score big runs in the upcoming IPL to secure a berth in India's T20 World Cup-bound squad because a few other players have leapfrogged the star batter in the last couple of months, reckoned former South African pacer Dale Steyn.
Kohli has not played for India since the T20I series against Afghanistan at home in January, skipping the ensuing five-match Test series against England owing to family reasons.
"I think, look, it's very important that he scores runs because it will put him in a good frame going to the World Cup.
"There're many guys who have leapfrogged him recently because he's taken a bit of a break and there're many contenders that are possible to take to that World Cup (squad)," Steyn said in an interaction during the Star Sports Press Room.
Kohli has, in fact, played just two T20Is since the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia.
However, Steyn, who is taking a break this year from IPL coaching duties with Sunrisers Hyderabad because of family commitments, said Kohli's experience might come in handy when the selectors sit to pick the India squad.
"I look at runs the same way that you look at someone's bank balance, so to speak. Virat has got stacks and stacks of runs that he stored up over many years.
"It is going to work when India is looking to pick a team that goes to the World Cup. They're going to look for guys who have been there and done that and that's something Virat has done," said Steyn.