Virat Kohli has confirmed his retirement from international cricket after the 2027 ODI World Cup. Speaking to JioStar, the former India captain confirmed that
the next ICC event will be his last World Cup. "Also now, it's in foreign conditions. It takes a lot out of you. 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," Kohli said. "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 and World Cup is a big deal," he added. Kohli, who made his ODI debut in 2008, played his maiden World Cup in 2011. He made a memorable World Cup debut and slammed a century against Bangladesh. He scored a vital 35 off 49 in the final against Sri Lanka and added a crucial 83 runs for the third wicket with Gautam Gambhir as India lifted the trophy after 28 years. Kohli, a senior member of the team in the 2015 World Cup, kicked off his campaign with a century against Pakistan. India crashed out after losing to Australia in the semi-final. Kohli captained India to the semi-final of the 2019 ODI World Cup, played in England and Wales. He scored five back-to-back fifties en route to the semi-final, where India lost to New Zealand. Kohli was sacked as the ODI captain in December 2021 and he played the 2023 World Cup under Rohit Sharma's captaincy. India suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Australia in the final. Kohli topped the run-scoring charts and piled up 765 runs at 95.62. His tally included three centuries and six fifties. Kohli retired from T20Is after winning the 2024 World Cup while he quit Test cricket in May 2025. He is now only active in ODI cricket and will give up the format after the WC. The IPL legend continues to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the T20 league.
