In road to 2027 World Cup, Virat Kohli reveals what he wants to stop worrying about
Virat Kohli knows exactly what is driving him towards the 2027 ODI World Cup.
For the former India captain, the tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will be his last World Cup in an India shirt. And with the road to the showpiece event beginning with Sunday's first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kohli says his motivation is simple: win the World Cup, whatever it takes.
"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 ahead of the three-match series.
The 2027 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia in October and November, will be Kohli's fourth ODI World Cup.
The 37-year-old's comments come at the start of an ODI cycle in which every game assumes greater significance. India have named Kohli and Rohit Sharma in their squad for the West Indies series, with Shubman Gill continuing as captain as the team begins building towards the 2027 tournament.
Since the 2025 Champions Trophy, he has scored 760 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 76, including three centuries and five fifties. Since the start of 2025, his tally stands at 1,035 runs at 64.68, while his last 10 ODIs have produced three hundreds and seven scores of fifty or more.
The numbers have come alongside a noticeable change in his approach.
"What's changed is, firstly, I promised myself that I'm going to play more freely. I'm not going to worry about the expectations that people might have around me. My role had always been, for a long period of time, that I'm going to stabilise things," Kohli said.
That freedom was visible in the last few IPL seasons where Kohli has been playing at a considerably higher click than before. In IPl 2026, he amassed 675 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 165.85. He also scored his fastest IPL fifty and helped RCB retain the title.
The role at the top allowed Kohli to embrace risks rather than view getting out as a failure of responsibility. It was a lesson he says has carried into his ODI cricket. That does not mean abandoning responsibility. Instead, Kohli wants to use his experience to maximise his impact once he is set.
"I am making a conscious effort to make a difference in the game, where you can get 30-40 extra runs. I want to stay in a space where, if I'm choosing not to take a risk, it's because I'm setting up eventually to get to a point where I say, okay, now press the accelerator down."
Kohli believes that approach can be particularly valuable in an ODI game increasingly shaped by high scoring.
"The game is changing in a way that, especially if the conditions are fast-paced and good, and other teams are looking to push you towards 340-350, we should be able to get 350-360 as well. I'm very willing to take risks now because I know that if I make runs there, we'll get 350-360 easily. And if I do that and play longer, then I can hit more at the end."
For Kohli, the change has been as much mental as technical.
"I had to unlock a little bit of that freedom in my own mind. That's also helped me in the IPL as well. I was able to play with that same freedom because I'm not thinking that if I get out, the situation might get difficult for us."
That freedom, he says, comes from trusting those around him.
"I have faith in the fact that there are other players around me who are very good and who will be able to handle the situation. I need to express myself fully and find a way to be consistent doing that. That's exciting as well at this stage of my career."
Now, with the 2027 World Cup less than 14 months away, Kohli has a final campaign in sight - and a clear idea of how he wants to approach it.- Ends
