Back-to-back tons and ready to play domestic cricket: What more Kohli needs to do to be in India's plans for 2027 ODI World Cup?

Virat Kohli now plays only in one format - One Day International or 50-over cricket - and he has been scoring centuries at will in the format. In the five ODI innings, he has played since retiring from Test cricket on May 12, 2025, Kohli has scored one fifty and two hundreds after two initial ducks. The veteran batter has 311 runs in five innings at an average of nearly 78 - the most for India - and yet he's not given a confirmation about being in India's plans for the 2027 ODI World Cup.

What more Kohli needs to do?

Kohli, after retiring from Test, scored his first ODI hundred on November 30. He scored another one two days later on December 3 - becoming the only batter in the history of the format to score back-to-back tons 11 times. He already has most ODI hundreds at 53 and the form he's currently in, the number only looks to grow.

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The 37-year-old batter has also pledged to play in domestic 50-over tournament Vijay Hazare Trophy to keep himself match-fit given the next 50-over World Cup still being nearly two years away.

What is BCCI's stance?

Despite being in great form and committing to play domestic cricket, the team management and head coach Gautam Gambhir have called the potential participation in the quadrennial event a thing of future. The head coach has repeatedly said that the fans should take it one day and one match at a time just like them on the topic of Kohli playing the upcoming ODI World Cup.

Kohli, despite fulfilling the team management's criteria of being in form and playing domestic cricket, does not seem to have the full backing to play the ODI World Cup 2027. It remains to be seen what else is expected out of player like Kohli to put him in plans to play the next ODI World Cup.