‘Goal is to win it’: Virat Kohli confirms 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final tournament for India
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "‘Goal is to win it’: Virat Kohli confirms 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final tournament for India")
‘Goal is to win it’ Kohli confirms 2027 ODI World Cup will be his final event Photograph: (AFP)
Virat Kohli confirms the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last tournament for India, setting his sights on ending his career with a world title.
Indian cricket’s poster boy Virat Kohli has confirmed his participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup in Africa, saying it will be the last tournament he will represent India in, and that he aims to win it.
Kohli is the only active member of the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning team, having played a handy role in the final against Sri Lanka. Kohli and India’s current head coach Gautam Gambhir stitched a crucial 83-run stand for the third wicket, before Gambhir and then-Indian captain MS Dhoni clinched the world title for India with 97 and 91*, respectively. Sixteen years on, he wants to finish his career with another ODI World Cup to his name.
Kohli has been India’s standout batter alongside veteran opener and fellow former captain Rohit Sharma, with the two likely to carry the seasoned batting unit into the showpiece event in October 2027.
Kohli has featured in four ODI World Cups since making his tournament debut in 2011, and will cap off his decorated One-Day career with his fifth appearance, one less than his idol Sachin Tendulkar’s appearance tally. With India’s home season beginning with the white-ball series against the West Indies on Sunday (Sep 27), Kohli, who is part of the ODI squad, reflected on his thoughts of featuring in the 50-over World Cup.
Known for expressing his passion for the game his way, Kohli said the intensity of an ODI World Cup is greater than everything else. Kohli confirmed he doesn’t see himself playing any tournament for India beyond this event, and winning it remains his final aim.
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"The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything. Because now, it's about 10 games at a T20 level of intensity. But you are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day. And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament, and the World Cup is a big deal. Also, now it's in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you. For me, it's the last World Cup I'm going to play for India. And that is my motivation. Like, you know, to leave everything out there. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup. And whatever it takes, I'm absolutely ready,” Kohli said while speaking to JioStar ahead of the series opener against the West Indies in Trivandrum.
Kohli has played 314 ODIs, scoring 14,941 runs at 58.59, including 54 hundreds.
