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Virat Kohli Announces Retirement from India Cricket After 2027 World Cup
Confirmed
In Short: Kohli’s decision to retire after the 2027 World Cup comes after a long and illustrious career, during which he has scored 14,941 runs in ODIs, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 18,426.
Former India captain Virat Kohli announced that the 2027 World Cup will be his last for the national team, marking the end of his ODI career.
Kohli, who is the leading century-maker in ODI cricket with 54 hundreds, made the announcement during an interview with broadcaster JioStar on Saturday.
He emphasized that the 2027 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, will be his fifth and final ODI World Cup.
Kohli noted the high intensity of the World Cup format, particularly when played away from home, and expressed his determination to help India lift the trophy.
Kohli has already retired from T20 internationals and Test cricket, focusing solely on ODI cricket for India.
Former captain Rohit Sharma, who also plays only ODIs for India, expressed his continued motivation for the upcoming World Cup campaign.
Rohit Sharma, who has been a key player alongside Kohli, shared his excitement about the upcoming World Cup.
Kohli and Rohit have faced several heartbreaks in previous World Cups, but their determination remains unwavering.
The 2027 World Cup will be a significant milestone for Kohli, who has prioritized the ODI format and the World Cup as the pinnacle of his career.
What this adds
Kohli's retirement from ODI cricket marks the end of his international career, as he has already retired from T20 internationals and Test cricket.
Rohit Sharma's continued motivation for the World Cup campaign highlights the team's focus on achieving success in the tournament.
What's confirmed
- “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.
What's still developing
- The 37-year-old batter, who has scored 14,941 runs in one-day internationals, second only to Sachin Tendulkar’s 18,426, won the World Cup on home soil in 2011 before suffering defeat in the 2023 final against Australia.
- And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament and World Cup is a big deal.
- As Rohit and Kohli announced their T20I retirements on the same night, and then called time on their Test careers barely a week apart the following year, the goal was clear: win the only ICC tournament they haven’t won together, and the one that matters most, the 50-overs World Cup.
- He has always prioritised it and called it the only World Cup that matters.
- "The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished. As long asyou're playing, there is always something to look forward to. And I'm looking forward to the World Cup, looking at what lies ahead for me. When the World Cup is played, when we play an ICC tournament, it has its own unique challenge, because you face different opponents, you play at different venues. So, you have to prepare differently, think in a different way and that is the challenge," Rohit said on the same platform.
- He later joined Zee, where he covered the 2019 World Cup across five venues in England—an assignment he considers a career highlight.
- Virat Kohli was just into his third year in international cricket, while Rohit Sharma failed to make the squad due to poor form and fitness.
- This was long before Kohli went on to become a legend, and Rohit ’s career witnessed a second wind as an opener.
- The 2015 World Cup in Australia, the 2016 World T20 in India, the 2017 Champions Trophy and the 2019 World Cup in England all ended in heartbreak for India, with Kohli and Rohit’s dreams falling short of coming true.
- The curse finally lifted in 2024, when India broke the jinx and lifted the T20 World Cup.
- Also Read: Why 38-year-old Virat Kohli became more fearless, expressive and attacking after retiring from Test cricket Kohli appears to be a certainty for next year’s World Cup in South Africa unless something goes horribly wrong.
- He may be playing just one international format, but that takes nothing away from his drive to be at his best when the World Cup comes around.