As Virat Kohli is all set to play his 16th IPL season with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), former Australian cricketer Matthew Hayden said that the upcoming IPL 2023 will be crucial for the right-hander to prepare for the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023, which will be held in India.
While many franchisees have already started their camps for the upcoming IPL 2023, starting on March 31, Kohli is currently playing in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia at home.
Following the bilateral series against Australia, the former Indian skipper will head into the IPL 2023, and Hayden said that the right-hander will look into the upcoming season to set the tone for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 in India in October and November.
As reported by India Today, Matthew Hayden said on Day 3 of the Ahmedabad Test between India and Australia: “IPL 2016 was an iconic season for Virat Kohli. The IPL season will set up Virat Kohli for the ODI World Cup. It does not get any bigger than that.”
Hayden signed off by saying, “As a player you use those tournaments to prepare for these iconic tournaments. And so why, wouldn't you want to be in great form. You have to take into account that his last season, he was not at the level he wanted to be. And I think in many ways this might be the making of Virat Kohli.”
Kohli has had a poor run in the IPL over last couple of years, but hit back in the international arena earlier in 2022. Kohli scored a T20I century against Afghanistan, had a terrific T20 World Cup and then scored an ODI century against Bangladesh.
