Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli has revealed that the ODI World Cup 2027 will be his last mega event for India. Notably, the showpiece event will be played in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Speaking to JioStar during the ongoing West Indies ODI series at home, Kohli, who bid adieu to T20Is and Test cricket, asserted that his absolute goal right now is to win the World Cup for Team India.
“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. And of course, the goal is absolutely to win the World Cup. And whatever it takes, I’m absolutely ready,” Kohli told JioStar.
Kohli is the second-leading run-scorer in ODI World Cup history, racking up 1795 runs in 37 games at an average of 59.83 with five centuries and 12 half-centuries, only behind Sachin Tendulkar, who amassed 2278 runs.
Notably, Kohli scored 765 runs in 11 innings in the ODI World Cup 2023 to emerge as the leading run-scorer of the tournament. Kohli is currently the second-leading run-scorer for Team India in ODIs in the ongoing calendar year, amassing 384 runs in six innings.
It’s worth noting that Australia defeated India by six wickets in the 2023 Cricket World Cup Final on November 19, 2023, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Further, Kohli stated that the mega event is the most challenging in terms of intensity.
“The intensity of a 50-over World Cup is greater than anything. Because now, it’s about 10 games at a T20 level of intensity. But you are playing 2.5 T20 games in one day. And to maintain that intensity for 10 games in a big tournament — the World Cup is a big deal. Also, now it’s in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you,” he added.
