Former South African pace bowler Dale Steyn stresses the pivotal role Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batting maestro Virat Kohli must play in the upcoming IPL 2024 season. With Kohli’s T20I appearances limited since the last T20 World Cup, Steyn notes India’s burgeoning talent pool of batters for the forthcoming June tournament.
During a press conference facilitated by Star Sports, Steyn underlines Kohli’s imperative to amass runs to fortify his confidence before the T20 World Cup. He acknowledges Kohli’s hiatus, which has seen other players surpass him in recent rankings. Nevertheless, Steyn underscores Kohli’s vast experience and clutch performances in high-stakes encounters.
“It’s very important for him to score runs because that will put him in a good frame going into the (T20) World Cup. There are many guys who have leapfrogged him recently because he has taken a bit of a break and there are many contenders to take to that World Cup.” said Steyn speaking on Star Sports.
Drawing an analogy between runs and financial assets, Steyn underscores Kohli’s accumulated wealth of runs over the years, underscoring its significance in assessing a player’s value. He accentuates the importance of Kohli’s extensive experience and past exploits in major tournaments.
“I look at runs the same way you look at someone’s bank balance. Virat has got stacks and stacks of runs that he has stored up over many years. They are going to look at guys who have been there and done that and that’s something Virat has done.”
With the IPL 2024 season looming, RCB confronts a formidable opener against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on March 22.
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