On the road to the 2027 World Cup, Virat Kohli reveals what he wants to stop worrying about
Virat Kohli knows exactly what drives him for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
For the former India captain, the tournament in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia will be the last World Cup for India. And with the road to the spectacular starting with Sunday’s first ODI against the West Indies in Thiruvananthapuram, Kohli says his motivation is simple: to win the World Cup at all costs.
“For me, this is the last World Cup I’m going to play for India. And that’s my motivation. Like, you know, leave it all 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, co-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 takes on greater importance. 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 to build for the 2027 tournament.
Since Champions Trophy 2025, he has scored 760 runs in 12 ODIs at an average of 76, including three hundreds 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 fifties or more.
WE WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF EXPECTATIONS
The numbers came along with a noticeable change in his approach.
“What has changed is firstly, I have promised myself that I will play more freely. I will not worry about the expectations that people around me might have. My role has always been, for a long time, to stabilize things,” Kohli said.
This freedom has been visible in the last few seasons of the IPL, with Kohli playing at a significantly higher click rate than before. IN IPl 2026, 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 accept risks rather than see the leak as a failure of responsibility. It was a lesson he says he brought to his ODI cricket. This does not mean abdicating responsibility. Instead, Kohli wants to use his experience to maximize his impact once he is set.
“I’m consciously trying to change the game where you can get 30-40 extra runs. I want to stay in a space where if I decide not to take a risk, it’s because I’m ultimately preparing myself to get to a point where I say, OK, now hit the gas pedal.”
Kohli believes the approach can be particularly valuable in an increasingly high-scoring ODI game.
“The game is changing in such a way that especially if the conditions are fast and good and other teams are trying to push you towards 340-350, we should be able to get 350-360 as well. I’m very willing to take the risk now because I know if I run there we’ll get 350-360 easily.”
For Kohli, the change was as much mental as technical.
“I had to unlock a little bit of that freedom in my own mind. That helped me in the IPL as well. I could play with the same freedom because I don’t think if I get out there, things can get tough for us.”
This freedom, he says, comes from trusting the people around him.
“I believe in the fact that there are other players around me who are very good and who can handle the situation. I need to fully express myself and find a way to be consistent in that. That is also exciting at this stage of my career.”
Now, with the 2027 World Cup less than 14 months away, Kohli has one final campaign in sight – and a clear idea of how he wants to approach it.
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