Virat Kohli has retired from Tests and T20Is and will be seen in action in ODIs, against Australia.
Former India keeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has been convinced that Virat Kohli is very keen on playing in the ICC World Cup in 2027. Kohli has retired from the Test and T20I formats of the game but is continuing in ODIs, the format in which he has 51 centuries to his name.
Karthik stated that Kohli is very set on playing the 2027 World Cup, and he was doing training in London during his time away from the field.
“He is keen to play the World Cup. That is number one. In London, he was training during this big layoff that he had had after a long time in his life. I also know he was practicing cricket easily 2-3 sessions a week.
Now that tells you the man is serious about wanting to play this World Cup. And if he is around, there is no tension, according to me. Because he knows what it takes to perform under pressure. And he has done that time and time again. And I am very confident he will do it again," Karthik said in a video on his Instagram.
In the video, which is now going viral on the internet, Karthik described Kohli's role in India's ODI team, saying he is the most crucial glue in the team around which everyone else revolves.
“Virat Kohli is back, and why is he so important to India’s chances in the 2027 World Cup? Let’s start with just pure stats. Since the 2023 World Cup, he has scored 1098 runs at 64.58. Now, if you just see how India has played for some time now, he is the fulcrum. He is the most important glue in that team around which everybody else plays.
The likes of Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma, Shreyas Iyer, and KL Rahul—they all play attacking, positive cricket because they know Virat Kohli is there to absorb pressure. In case things go wrong, he will take care of it from one end. The latest example is the Champions Trophy against Pakistan. A bit of a wobble; he was there at 31 for 1. And then if you do take the semi-finals (vs. Australia) as well, 42 for 2, he was batting there again; he got India out of a precarious situation,” Karthik added.
Karthik further stated that the World Cup will be played in South Africa, where the pitches will be spicy and conducive to pace bowling. He highlighted how Kohli had scored 558 runs in a five-match series and scored four centuries when he played ODIs in South Africa in 2018.
He added, “Now let’s move to South Africa, the destination for that (2027) World Cup. The World Cup is going to be played in October-November. Now, having been part of SA20, I can tell you that’s the early part of their summer. So, the peaches will be slightly spicy. It will have something for the fast bowlers. It’s always hard and bouncy. No, with the last time India played in 2018 in that bilateral against South Africa, he got 558 runs in a five-match series and scored four centuries."
“The next best was Shikhar (Dhawan) at about 323. It tells you the difference. He scored 200 more runs than the next-best player in that series. He knows what it takes to handle pressure. He is a chase master," Karthik added.
Here is the video:
Kohli will be in action when India and Australia clash in an ODI series starting on October 19.