Virat Kohli has confirmed the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last for India. He spoke to JioStar on September 26, the day before India’s series opener against West Indies. The 37-year-old called the tournament his final shot at the trophy and said it is what drives him now.
“For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation. Like, you know, to leave everything out there.”
Virat Kohli, speaking to JioStar, September 26, 2026
Virat Kohli is “absolutely ready” for 2027 pic.twitter.com/1ym2gI1rFE
— Cricinfo (@cricinfo) September 26, 2026
He said the goal is to win the World Cup and that he is ready to do whatever it takes. He did not use the word retire, and he set no date for his final ODI. What he confirmed is his last World Cup, not the end of his career.
The headline is the farewell, but most coverage skipped his reason. He called a 50-over World Cup the most draining thing in cricket, and at 38 that cost lands where fans never look.
The 2027 edition runs from October 4 to November 21 across South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and Kohli will be 38 when it starts. It will be his fifth World Cup. He won in 2011 and lost the 2023 final, both at home, and he said playing in foreign conditions takes a lot out of a player.
| Kohli at ODI World Cups | |
|---|---|
| Matches | 37 |
| Runs | 1,795 |
| Average | 59.83 |
| Hundreds | 5 |
| Fifties | 12 |
| Highest score | 117 |
| Titles | 1 (2011) |
Kohli now plays only ODIs, after leaving T20Is following the 2024 World Cup win and Tests in May 2025. He has eight fifty-plus scores in his last 12 ODIs. He needs 51 runs in Thiruvananthapuram on September 27 to become the second player after Sachin Tendulkar to reach 15,000 ODI runs.
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Kohli described a 50-over World Cup as ten matches at T20 intensity, except each one lasts two and a half T20s. In a batter’s late thirties, skill is not what fades first: the body’s ability to reset between matches is. You spend 50 overs in the field chasing every single, then walk out to the new ball on legs that have already done a day’s work.
The hardest part is not the batting. It is holding full concentration for 100 overs, then doing it again days later, for seven weeks. A young player sleeps it off, but at 38 recovery becomes the real test, which is why he spoke of leaving everything out there: he knows how much is left and plans to spend all of it on one tournament.
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