Veteran India batter Virat Kohli on Thursday (October 16) morning raised eyebrows with a cryptic social media post. However, it turned out to be an advertisement post, much to the amusement of the fans.

In the first post, Kohli wrote: “The only time you truly fail is when you decide to give up”, stirring speculations that the batting stalwart is keen to participate in the 2027 World Cup by doing well in the upcoming ODI series against Australia.

However, a few hours later, Kohli made an advertisement post beneath his earlier tweet, leaving the netizens in shocked as well as splits.

Here's how the fans reacted:

Having retired from T20Is and Tests, Virat Kohli has now become one-format player. The three-match ODI series against Australia, starting October 19 in Perth, will mark his return to international cricket for the first time since March 2025.

The series comes at a significant juncture in Kohli’s career amidst rumours of farewell from international cricket.

BCCI chief selector Ajit Agarkar, at the time of the announcement of the ODI squad earlier this month, had remained non-committal on Kohli and Rohit Sharma being part of India's scheme of things for the 2027 ODI World Cup, despite their selection for the Australia series.

Agarkar’s statement had sparked rumours that Australia series will be a 'perform or perish' situation for the ageing duo.