Shipperd was full of praise for the Australian all-rounder, hailing his immense experience and big-hitting.
Dan Christian, Ben McDermott, Cameron Green, Ashton Turner, Wes Agar and Nathan Ellis have been called up by the selectors.
This is because, as per Southee, Kohli had the WTC final in mind and possibly saw a near seven-foot Kiwi fast bowler as a threat.