Virat Kohli, who is considered one of the modern-day greats, is currently struggling with his batting form in Test cricket. Virat Kohli failed to make an impact in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 series but has no intentions of retiring from international cricket until the 2027 ODI World Cup.
The star batter could not resist poking at balls outside off-stump in the recent series. Kohli yelled at himself after his dismissal on Day 2 of India’s second innings against Australia in Sydney. It was his eighth caught-behind dismissal of the series, with Scott Boland accounting for five of those dismissals.
Kohli Wants to Play for Team India Until the 2027 ODI World Cup
Virat Kohli’s struggles in the recently concluded series appear to be more mental than technical. The right-handed batter played only two noteworthy performances – a century in the second innings at Perth and a 36 in Melbourne. Apart from these knocks, Kohli only managed 54 runs from his seven innings.
However, Kohli wants to play for Team India until the 2027 ODI World Cup, even though he is experiencing one of the lowest phases in his career, according to a PTI report. It will be very difficult for the India national men’s team selectors to make a final call on the champion player as the team is going through a transition phase.
Very Hard for Selectors to Pick Either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli – Ex-Selector
A former national selector raised concerns about Virat Kohli’s chances of being selected for the England tour in June without playing any red-ball cricket. He emphasized that it would be difficult for selectors to justify picking Kohli or Rohit Sharma based solely on their IPL performance.
“It would be very hard for selectors to pick either Rohit Sharma or Virat Kohli on the basis of IPL performance or form. Their has to be some red-ball cricket for them in lead-up to England tour. Else you can’t justify their selections,” the former selectors told PTI.
There is no indication that Virat Kohli plans to participate in the upcoming Ranji Trophy, which resumes on January 23. Delhi’s first match is against Saurashtra in Rajkot from January 23-26. Following that, Delhi is scheduled to play Railways from January 30 to February 2 in the next round of matches.
India Set to Take on England in Their Next Assignment
India will play a three-match ODI series against England starting on February 6, followed by the Champions Trophy from February 19 to March 9, and then the IPL, which will begin in March. Kohli has no chance to play any red-ball cricket unless he skips the IPL for a county stint to prepare for the England tour.
Kohli is unlikely to miss the opportunity to play for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League 2025. Another possible option for Kohli is to discuss with the selectors and play a couple of India A games during their shadow tour to England, ahead of the senior team’s first Test from June 18 in Leeds.
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