Now Reading: Kohli confirms 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last for India
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Kohli confirms 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last for India
The Story in Brief
Virat Kohli has announced that the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will be his last for India. Speaking to JioStar on Saturday, 26 September, the 37-year-old said, ‘For me, it’s the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that is my motivation… to leave everything out there. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup.’
Kohli, who retired from T20Is after the 2024 World Cup and from Tests in May 2025, now plays only ODIs. He was part of India’s 2011 World Cup win and finished as the leading run-scorer in the 2023 edition with 765 runs, though India lost the final to Australia. Across 37 World Cup matches, he has scored 1,795 runs at an average of 59.83. Rohit Sharma, who also plays only ODIs, said he still has ‘unfinished business’ and is looking forward to the World Cup.
India begin their ODI preparations with a three-match series against West Indies starting Sunday, 27 September in Thiruvananthapuram. Kohli is 59 runs short of 15,000 ODI runs. The 2027 World Cup runs from 4 October to 21 November.
Update, 30 September 2026: Kohli confirmed that the 2027 World Cup will be his last for India in an interview with JioStar on 26 September. He said his goal is to win the trophy. Rohit Sharma also said he is looking forward to the World Cup. India face West Indies in the first ODI on 27 September.
Indian Opinion Analysis
Every source leads with Kohli’s confirmation that the 2027 World Cup will be his last, and all quote the same JioStar interview. The Hindu, ESPNcricinfo and Times of India give additional detail on Kohli’s ‘unfinished business’ and his reflections on past defeats, while NDTV and Rediff lead with Rohit Sharma’s parallel motivation. Al Jazeera and the ICC website frame the announcement as a global news event. The New Indian Express and National Herald emphasise the team transition under captain Shubman Gill. Coverage is uniform in facts but varies in depth: most outlets report the statement neutrally, while a few add context on Kohli’s career arc or India’s ODI schedule. The next concrete event is the first ODI against West Indies on 27 September.
Coverage: 28 sources, 28 neutral
Sources (28): timesofindia.indiatimes.com (neutral report), timesnownews.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), ndtv.com (neutral report), abplive.com (neutral report), aljazeera.com (neutral report), siasat.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (neutral report), thehindu.com (2) (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (neutral report), deccanherald.com (neutral report), rediff.com (neutral report), economictimes.indiatimes.com (2) (neutral report), nationalheraldindia.com (neutral report), t2online.in (neutral report), thehindu.com (3) (neutral report), espncricinfo.com (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (3) (neutral report), ndtv.com (2) (neutral report), gulfnews.com (neutral report), newindianexpress.com (neutral report), newindianexpress.com (2) (neutral report), icc-cricket.com (neutral report), espncricinfo.com (2) (neutral report), ndtv.com (3) (neutral report), m9.news (neutral report), timesofindia.indiatimes.com (4) (neutral report), icc-cricket.com (2) (neutral report)
This brief was synthesised by AI from the 28 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Methodology and corrections.
