Virat Kohli is all set to return to international cricket after a brief hiatus since the triumphant ICC Champions Trophy in March 2025, as India tours Australia in the coming weeks.
Having retired from the T20Is and Tests over the past 15 months, Kohli will now only be available for the ODIs for the remainder of his career.
However, with ODI cricket hard to come by, according to the current schedule is likely to make it difficult for the player to find his match sharpness. Additionally, Rohit Sharma's removal from the captaincy in ODIs has further created doubts regarding the duo's spot for the upcoming World Cup.
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Amid all the questions around their ODI future under the current management and selection committee, here's what Virat Kohli himself had to say about the World Cup 2027.
What did Virat Kohli say about the World Cup 2027?
After a long break from the format, India will play ODI series against Australia, South Africa and New Zealand till mid-January ahead of the T20 World Cup, followed by the Indian Premier League, where Kohli is highly likely to keep his spot at number 3.
As he returns to international cricket, having cleared his fitness tests, it would be interesting to see how he fares against the top opposition, with no match practice.
Days ahead of the Australia tour, a video from Kohli's recent public appearance went viral on the internet, where he spoke about the ambition to lift his second World Cup after 16 years since he first held the big prize.
"The next big step — I don't know, maybe try to win the next World Cup,"
"That’s the format they are at the moment playing (Virat and Rohit). We picked them, but as far as the 2027 World Cup is concerned. I don’t think we need to talk about it today. Obviously, with the captaincy change, that’s generally the thought," Agarkar said in the press conference.
READ MORE: What did Rohit Sharma say about playing the 2027 ODI World Cup?
Later this year, Kohli alongside Rohit Sharma is expected to feature in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as confirmed by Ajit Agarkar in his presser.
Having already set his eyes on the World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, it would be interesting how the team management and selectors handle both Kohli and Sharma in months to come.
How has Virat Kohli performed in the World Cups?
In the four World Cups played so far, from 2011 to 2023, Kohli has been India's consistent performer, having also won the Player of the Tournament in 2023 for being the top run getter. So far, he has five hundreds and 12 fifties in 37 World Cup appearances.
Only Sachin Tendulkar (2278) has scored more than Kohli in the World Cups after he surpassed Ricky Ponting (1743) in the final of the World Cup 2023.
| Edition | Innings | Runs | Highest | Avg/SR | 50/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 9 | 282 | 100* | 35.25/82.21 | 1/1 |
| 2015 | 8 | 305 | 107 | 50.83/81.55 | 0/1 |
| 2019 | 9 | 443 | 82 | 55.37/94.05 | 5/0 |
| 2023 | 11 | 765 | 117 | 95.62/90.31 | 6/3 |
| Overall | 37 | 1795 | 117 | 59.83/88.20 | 12/5 |
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