'Last World Cup I'm Going to Play': Virat Kohli Sets Sights on 2027 Glory

Indian cricket star Virat Kohli has confirmed that the 2027 ICC Men's ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia will be his final 50-over World Cup appearance. Speaking ahead of India's home ODI series against the West Indies, Kohli expressed a strong determination to give everything for one last shot at World Cup glory.

Final World Cup Campaign: Having retired from T20Is and Test cricket to focus exclusively on the 50-over format, the 37-year-old declared that the 2027 edition will be his fifth and final ODI World Cup for India.

Ultimate Motivation: Kohli highlighted that winning the trophy drives his current preparations, stating: "For me, it's the last World Cup I'm going to play for India... and whatever it takes, I'm absolutely ready."

"What's changed is, firstly, I promised to myself that I'm going to play more freely," Kohli said. "I'm not going to worry about the expectations that people might have around me. Because my role always had been for a long period of time that he's going to stabilise things, right? What happens is I know I can play, like I know I can hit shots, but [say] you're playing on a tricky pitch, and you try to do something extravagant and you survive. Immediately there's a [player coming out with a drink saying], 'you play, keep going'.

Grinding Mental & Physical Demands: He emphasized the immense challenge of a 10-match 50-over tournament, describing it as playing two and a half T20 games worth of intensity per match—made even tougher playing in foreign conditions.

Rohit's Shared Vision: Fellow veteran Rohit Sharma reinforced the team's collective focus, noting that as long as they are playing, there is always something to look forward to on the road to 2027.

Start of the Road to 2027: India's build-up to the 2027 tournament officially launches with a three-match ODI series against the West Indies starting in Thiruvananthapuram.