Virat Kohli Confirms 2027 Tournament Will Be His Last ODI World Cup

Virat Kohli has confirmed that the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe will be his last for India, and has framed the 2027 tournament around one clear target: ending his ODI World Cup career with the trophy.

Kohli sets title target for final World Cup

“For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation,” Kohli told JioStar in an interview.

“And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup. And whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready,” Kohli said.

Cricbuzz reported the same central declaration from Kohli, quoting him as saying, “It’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India, and that is my motivation - to leave everything out there.”

“The goal is absolutely to win the World Cup,” Kohli said in the JioHotstar interview cited by Cricbuzz.

“And whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready,” Kohli added.

The confirmation gives India’s 2027 ODI World Cup campaign a defining personal storyline for Kohli, who is now a one-format international player and is looking at the tournament as his final World Cup appearance for the country.

Kohli began his ODI World Cup journey with India’s title-winning campaign in 2011, and he will hope to sign off from the tournament in the same way.

ICC said Kohli has appeared in four ODI World Cups for India and finished as a winner in 2011.

The veteran has announced his retirement from Tests and T20I cricket, and his focus is now on the 50-over World Cup.

Unfinished business from 2023

Kohli’s motivation is also tied to India’s 2023 ODI World Cup campaign, which ended with defeat to Australia in the final in Ahmedabad after India had come within one game of the title.

Cricbuzz reported that Kohli still carries a sense of unfinished business from that result and sees 2027 as the chance to put it right in what will be his final World Cup.

The 2023 defeat was especially painful for Kohli because of both his own tournament and India’s run into the final.

Cricbuzz noted that Kohli had been Player of the Tournament in 2023 and that India had strung together 10 impressive wins on the bounce before the final.

Kohli compared the memory of that World Cup final with another final defeat that had stayed with him for years.

“Before we [Royal Challengers Bengaluru] won the IPL in 2025, I used to get flashbacks of the 2016 final [lost to SRH],” Kohli said.

“I feel the same about the World Cup final as well,” Kohli said.

Kohli also revisited his dismissal in the 2023 final and explained why it remained difficult to process.

“I was playing on 54 and had set myself up for a big hundred; like, if I got 140-150, we would be in a great position to win that game, because you're getting 300-plus in a big final, and with our bowling, we will get them,” Kohli said.

“But as soon as I played on [to Pat Cummins], it was very tough to process for many days,” Kohli said.

“And you keep thinking about it,” Kohli said.

That memory sits behind Kohli’s 2027 ambition, which Cricbuzz described as extending beyond merely being part of a successful campaign.

“I want to be the guy who wins us the game”

Kohli said he wants to play a decisive role for India at the World Cup, while making clear that the trophy matters more to him than the exact form of his individual contribution.

“I've always been someone who, every game that we play I want to be the guy who wins us the game - so that's never going to go away from me,” Kohli said.

“I am made that way,” Kohli said.

“So my goal [at the World Cup] is to win as many games as I can for the team - 60-70% of the games would be phenomenal,” Kohli said.

Kohli described his ideal World Cup final scenario as a finishing role in a chase.

“My dream is to play a match-winning, finishing knock in the finals, like chasing a score,” Kohli said.

“That's the ideal scenario,” Kohli said.

“If it happens, great,” Kohli said.

“If it doesn't happen, we win the World Cup, I'll be as happy,” Kohli said.

He said the larger priority is the trophy because this will be his final opportunity to play a World Cup.

“It's the last time you're getting to play a World Cup,” Kohli said.

“So just getting that trophy is the most important thing,” Kohli said.

“If I have the opportunity to do it as an individual staying there out in the middle, there's nothing more satisfying as a batsman,” Kohli said.

“That drives us - to be the guy who makes an impact,” Kohli said.

Kohli linked that drive to the competitive instinct of imagining himself rescuing the team from difficulty.

“Situation difficult; you visualise yourself pulling the team out of trouble,” Kohli said.

“And that's what makes you compete,” Kohli said.

“So I don't want to let go of that competitiveness,” Kohli said.

A demanding 50-over challenge

Kohli also explained why he views the 50-over World Cup as an especially demanding tournament.

“The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything,” Kohli said.

“Because now, it’s about 10 games at a T20 level of intensity,” Kohli said.

“But you are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day,” Kohli said.

“And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament and World Cup is a big deal,” Kohli said.

“Also now, it’s in foreign conditions,” Kohli said.

“It takes a lot out of you,” Kohli said.

That assessment matters because the 2027 edition will be played in South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, placing India in overseas conditions for Kohli’s final World Cup.

ICC described Kohli as one of the most productive batters in World Cup history.

He has played 37 ODIs in the World Cup and scored 1,795 runs at an average of 59.83.

His World Cup record includes five hundreds and 12 fifties, with a top score of 117.

In his overall ODI career, Kohli has scored 14,941 runs in 302 innings at an average of 58.59.

His overall ODI record includes 54 centuries and 79 fifties.

His highest ODI score is 183 and his strike rate is 93.95.

ICC also said Kohli is just shy of 15,000 runs in the format.

One-format phase and a freer ODI game

Cricbuzz reported that Kohli put behind the disappointment of missing out on the 2023 World Cup by playing a key role in the final of the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Not long after that, Kohli became a one-format player.

Cricbuzz reported that the freedom of playing only ODI cricket internationally appears to have brought another dimension to Kohli’s game.

His ODI average stood at 58.18 at the end of 2024 and has since risen to 58.59.

During this period, Kohli has scored at 64.68.

His strike rate has also climbed from 93.54 to 99.80.

Kohli attributed that shift largely to a conscious decision to play more freely and take greater risks when the situation allows.

“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,” Kohli said.

Kohli said his role over a long period had often been seen as one of stabilising the innings.

“Because my role always had been for a long period of time that he's going to stabilise things, right?” Kohli said.

“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,” Kohli said.

“Immediately there's a [player coming out with a drink saying], 'you play, keep going',” Kohli said.

Kohli said he is now making a conscious effort to change the scale of his impact once he is set.

“This time, I'm making a conscious effort that if I'm set, to make a difference in the game, get 30-40 extra runs,” Kohli said.

“I want to be in a space where if I am choosing not to take a risk, it's because I'm setting up eventually to get to a point where I say, 'okay, now press the accelerator down',” Kohli said.

“It's not to say 'I'll keep going at that rate and not accelerate at any stage and then do it at the end',” Kohli said.

He placed that personal shift within the changing demands of ODI batting.

“Now the game is changing in a way that especially if the conditions are fast-paced and good and other teams are looking to press you towards 340, 350, we should be able to get 350, 360 also,” Kohli said.

“I'm very willing to take risks now because I know that [we] will get 350, 360 easy,” Kohli said.

“And doing that, if I play longer, then I can hit more at the end,” Kohli said.

“So I had to unlock like a little bit of that, you know, freedom in my own mind,” Kohli said.

Rohit also looks ahead

ICC’s report also quoted Rohit Sharma on the continuing motivation of international cricket and ICC tournaments.

“The thought will never cross my mind that the business I had is finished,” Rohit told JioStar.

“As long as you’re playing, there is always something to look forward to,” Rohit said.

“And I’m looking forward to the World Cup, looking at what lies ahead for me,” Rohit said.

Rohit said ICC tournaments bring their own challenges because of the range of opponents and venues.

“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,” Rohit said.

“So, you have to prepare differently, think in a different way and that is the challenge,” Rohit added.

ICC noted that Sharma is yet to win the 50-over World Cup.

Having been on the losing side in the final of the 2023 edition as India captain, Sharma will be keen to add the ODI World Cup winners' medal to his kitty, ICC reported.

For India, the 2027 tournament therefore carries layered significance: Kohli has publicly marked it as his last World Cup, India are coming off a 2023 final defeat, and both Kohli and Rohit have spoken about the challenge and pull of another ODI World Cup campaign.