Virat Kohli knows what it feels like to lift the World Cup. He also knows how it feels to watch that chance slip away after weeks of doing almost everything right. Now, with one more campaign in his sights, the chase comes with a sense of an approaching goodbye.
The 37-year-old has said the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last for India, giving next year’s tournament an emotional weight for a generation of supporters who have watched him grow into one of cricket’s biggest names. “For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India,” Kohli told JioStar on Saturday, PTI reported.
“That is my motivation and 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,” he added. India’s ODI series against the West Indies will begin on Sunday.
From triumph to heartbreak
The World Cup tournament, scheduled for October-November in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, would be his fifth ODI World Cup. By then, more than 16 years will have passed since he first held the trophy as part of Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s winning team in 2011.
Back then, Kohli was 22, a young batter sharing in a home triumph with much of his career still ahead. He approaches the next edition carrying the experience, expectations and accumulated miles of a very different cricketer.
His ODI tally stands at 14,941 runs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 18,426. Another 59 would take him to 15,000. Yet his stated ambition is a team prize, one that has proved elusive since that first successful campaign.
The closest recent opportunity came in 2023. Kohli scored a record 765 runs and was named Player of the Tournament, but Australia beat India in the final. An extraordinary personal campaign ended with the trophy in someone else’s hands.
That history gives his latest declaration its poignancy. There is already a World Cup winner’s medal in his story, alongside the memory of coming so close to another.
The final push
Kohli, who turns 38 in November and now plays only ODIs internationally, is clear about the work ahead. His description of the tournament leaves little room for viewing it simply as a farewell tour.
“The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything. Because now, it’s about 10 games at a Twenty20 level of intensity,” he said.
“But you are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day. And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament and World Cup is a big deal. Also now, it’s in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you,” added Kohli.
Rohit’s unfinished business
There is a similar sense of unfinished business for Rohit Sharma. At 39, the former India captain is also looking towards the tournament, with the disappointment of 2023 part of their shared history.
“The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished. As long as you’re playing, there is always something to look forward to,” Rohit said, PTI reported.
He highlighted the challenge of changing opponents and venues, which demands different preparation and thinking throughout an ICC event.
For both batters, the West Indies series is another step towards that challenge. For supporters, Kohli’s words also bring a familiar sporting reality closer: even the careers that seem to define an era eventually run out of World Cups.
There will be time for the tributes. Kohli’s attention is on the months of preparation and the demands of one final campaign. His first ODI World Cup ended with India celebrating. He is ready to put everything into giving his last one the same ending.