In a candid and fiercely honest revelation, Indian batting great Virat Kohli has finally broken his silence on the swirling speculation surrounding his international future and his potential participation in the 2027 ODI World Cup, which is set to be co-hosted by South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
The 37-year-old Kohli, who has retired from Tests and T20Is but remains a cornerstone in the 50-over format, made it clear that while he is fully committed to continuing in ODIs and eyeing another World Cup victory for India, he will only do so in an environment of mutual respect and value.
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A Clear Stance From Virat Kohli
Speaking to presenter Mayanti Langer on the latest episode of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) podcast, Virat Kohli emphasized that his preparation and dedication are unwavering, but he is no longer in a phase where he feels the need to constantly prove himself.
“We’re in mid-2026. I’ve been asked so many times, ‘Do you want to play ’27?’ Why would I leave my home, get my stuff over, and be like, ‘I don’t know what I want.’ Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket, I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing,” Kohli said.
“Today, my perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen. If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space.
Because 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’m very thankful to god for giving me everything that I’ve been given in my cricketing career. I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity. 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.
I prepare for the fact that I will field 50 overs every ball like it’s the last ball I’m going to play in my career, and I will bat that way and I will run between the wickets that way, and I will do everything possible for the team. After operating like this, if I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me. And I am very clear in my head from that perspective,” he added.
Notably, Kohli has smashed three centuries and three fifties in his last seven ODI innings against New Zealand, South Africa, and Australia. During this period, he also featured in the domestic 50-over Vijay Hazare Trophy, scoring 131 and 77 in his two appearances.
In IPL 2026, he is currently the third-highest run-scorer, having amassed 484 runs in 12 innings for RCB, including a century and three fifties, at a strike rate of 165.75.
Virat Kohli Opens Up On His Preparation
Virat 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.
“That’s why when I went back to play, I was very clear in my head: I’m not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I’m going to play because I love playing the game. That’s how I played the Vijay Hazare [Trophy] as well,” Kohli said.
“It was amazing. There was not a person in the [BCCI’s] Centre for Excellence [in Bengaluru]. Firstly, I thought I’ve played for so long and will it be motivating enough? But the moment my intentions switched to ‘I want to play because I love playing; I just love batting and I just want to focus on that’, I could not care [less about the stage]. It’s not like I didn’t field. I fielded the whole game, and I was diving around, and I felt like a child again. I was like, ‘This is not about anyone else, this is about me and the game and that’s what it’s going to be’.
And the moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me and be like, oh, but this and that, either be clear and honest upfront or be quiet and let me play,” he added.
India’s next home ODI assignment is against Afghanistan in June, following which the team will also play three ODIs against England in July.
