Virat Kohli drops bombshell on retirement talks & 2027 ODI World Cup just before IPL 2026 playoffs

Virat Kohli is currently ranked the No. 2 batter in the ICC Men’s ODI rankings.

Virat Kohli has been the centrepiece of the Indian Cricket Team for more than a decade now. The star batter has now retired from two formats and only features in ODI. There are discussions about his retirement from Test cricket and playing in the 2027 ODI World Cup.

The 37-year-old has now put an end to these questions in a recent interview conducted by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Kohli has been in red-hot form in ODIs and is currently ranked No. 2 in the ICC rankings, just behind Daryl Mitchell.

Last year, after scoring back-to-back ducks in Australia, he responded strongly with the bat, scoring plenty of runs and putting an end to questions about his form. Later, he also played domestic cricket in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and scored two 50+ scores, including a century.

In the RCB podcast, Virat Kohli spoke about his availability for the 2027 World Cup and the conditions under which he would be available.

Virat Kohli drops big hint on playing the 2027 ODI World Cup

In the podcast with his Indian Premier League (IPL) side, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Virat Kohli addressed questions about his retirement and about being asked to prove himself. He said:

“My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of, and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen. If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space, and because I’m being honest to my preparation, I’m being honest to how I approach the game.”

He then added, “I put my head down, I work hard, I’m very thankful to God for giving me everything that I’ve been given in my cricketing career, and I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity. When I arrive to play, I put my head down, I work as hard, if not harder than anyone else, and I play the game in the right way. You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game? I will do that without a complaint, because I prepared accordingly. I prepare for the fact that I will field 50 overs every ball like it’s the last ball I’m going to play in my career, and I will bat that way, and I will run between the wickets that way, and I will do everything possible for the team.”

Virat Kohli also revealed his mindset after returning from Australia, where he had scored back-to-back ducks before ending with a fifty in the final game.

He said, “When I went back to play, I was very clear in my head, I’m not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I am going to play because I love playing the game.”

He further spoke about his experience in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and how reconnecting with the joy of cricket helped him.

Kohli’s massive statement on his commitment regarding the 2027 World Cup

Putting an end to questions surrounding his future, Virat Kohli made a huge statement about the 2027 ODI World Cup, saying:

“Why would I leave my home, get my stuff over, and be like, I don’t know what I want? Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket. I want to carry on playing in a World Cup for India.”

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