Kohli reiterates commitment to Cricket World Cup 2027

India’s batting star Virat Kohli stated that his preparations were in full-sync for the upcoming ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2027.

Kohli, the player with most hundreds (54) in the format and the second-highest ODI runs (14,797), has already featured in four Men’s Cricket World Cups and was a part of the squad that lifted the 2011 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

“We’re in mid-2026. I have been asked many times, ‘Do you want to play in 2027?’ Why would I leave home, get my stuff over and be like ‘I don’t know what I want’,” Kohli spoke during an interview on the RCB podcast.

“Of Course, If I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing.”

Despite having retired from the T20I format in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025, Kohli continues to be a mainstay in the India ODI setup. And besides the Indian Premier League, India’s domestic T20 franchise league, Kohli has recently also featured for his state side, Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy, India’s List-A domestic competition. 

Kohli discussed the zeal with which he continued to prepare for the one-day game, where he’s mastered the art of run-scoring and averages at 58.71 with a strike-rate of 93.82.

“I'm being honest to my preparation. I'm being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down. I work hard.

“I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity (to play cricket). And 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 from boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game, I will do that without a complaint. Because I prepare accordingly.”

Kohli also mentioned how of late, he had moved beyond numbers and focussed his energies on re-discovering the joy of playing the game for the love of cricket.

“I'm at this stage in life, my career where I'm just doing things, even playing cricket, it gets to a stage which goes beyond numbers and achievements and all those kind of things.

“It's like a full circle feeling when you start off with just pure enjoyment of the game and then you set out with some goals in your mind and you achieve goal after goal and then through that whole journey you feel like ‘Oh this is the big thing.

"But then you wake up the next morning, it's still going on, it's still not over.’ I think the importance of achieving and numbers and all those kind of things, it acts as a motivation factor earlier, but the more you do it, the more you realize that it's actually not what your purpose is in the game. 

“It's not fulfilling you in a way that's organic, which is in flow with you know the love of the game.”

India’s next home ODI assignment is against Afghanistan in June, following which the team will also play three ODIs against England in July.