Virat Kohli (Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images) Former India cricketer and Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor Dinesh Karthik has revealed that Virat Kohli is actively preparing for a World Cup comeback in 2027, with the 36-year-old star batsman maintaining his cricket training during his recent London break ahead of the ODI series against Australia. “He wants to play World Cup 2027. He was training in London during this big break he had after a long time in his life. He was practicing cricket, 2-3 practices a week. He is serious about playing World Cup 2027,” Karthik shared in an Instagram video.
Massive crowd on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma at Delhi Airport as Team India leaves for Australia
Click here watch the videoKohli is India’s second highest run-scorer in ODIs, having amassed 14,181 runs in 302 matches and 290 innings. He maintains an impressive average of 57.88 with a strike rate in excess of 93, including 51 centuries and 74 fifties, with his highest score being 183. In his 2025 appearances, Kohli has scored 275 runs in seven innings at an average of 45.83 with one century and two fifties. His last international appearance was during the ICC Champions Trophy win in March, where he scored 218 runs in five matches, including a set against Pakistan and 84 runs against Australia in the semi-final. Kohli has shown consistent success in Australian conditions, scoring 1,327 runs in 29 ODIs at an average of 51.03 and a strike rate above 89. His record includes five hundreds and six fifties, with a highest score of 133 not out. His form against Australia shows remarkable consistency, with his last five innings being 54, 56, 85, 54 and 84. Similarly, his last five innings in Australia saw a strong performance with scores of 104, 46, 21, 89 and 63. India’s ODI squad for the upcoming series includes Shubman Gill as captain, with Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer as vice-captain, Axar Patel, KL Rahul, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Dhring Singh Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
