Dinesh Karthik breaks silence on Virat Kohli’s 2027 World Cup plans amid retirement rumours, shares London insights

Dinesh Karthik has shed light on Virat Kohli's future plans as the prominent Indian batsman joined the national team and traveled to Australia for a three-match ODI series. This series marks the beginning of India's preparations for the 2027 World Cup, with Shubman Gill taking the helm for the first time in the 50-over format.

Despite leading India to victory in the Champions Trophy during his last assignment, Rohit Sharma has been stripped of the captaincy, raising significant questions about the futures of both him and Kohli. Both players are now primarily participating in just one format and are nearing the end of their careers.

In recent weeks, Rohit has been seen training at various locations in Mumbai and even spent a week at the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (COE) in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, there has been a cloud of uncertainty surrounding Kohli, as few updates have surfaced regarding his status while he remains in London.

Karthik, who serves as a mentor for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and has a close friendship with Kohli, disclosed that the former Indian captain is eager to participate in the 2027 World Cup. He also mentioned that Kohli has been consistently training in London, engaging in sessions two to three times a week.

"He is keen to play that World Cup, he was training in London - he was practising 2 to 3 sessions in a week - that tells, the man is serious to play the World Cup," said Karthik on Instagram.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Dinesh Karthik (@dk00019)

In the same video, the former Indian wicket-keeper batter advocated strongly for India to include Kohli in their future plans, highlighting Kohli's excellent form in ODI Cricket and his remarkable performance during the Champions Trophy victory. He also noted Kohli's outstanding record in South Africa, which will host the quadrennial event in 2027.

“And then we have the master of chases, the king, as they call him, Virat Kohli. If you look at Virat Kohli’s stats post the 2023 World Cup, upwards of a thousand runs again at an average of 65, I don’t think you need to say more than that. He brings experience to the table, and, most importantly, cometh the hour, cometh the man. We’ve heard it a long time, and we’ve heard it a lot of times as well, but that line definitely belongs to Virat Kohli in cricket,” Karthik said.

“If there’s ever a batter who’s played this sport and knows how to take on the big moments, you won’t find better than Virat Kohli. As an Indian team, if you have to ask anybody, they’ll say Virat Kohli is the kind of player you want because he knows how to be aggressive, but most importantly, if there needs to be some sort of pressure that needs to be absorbed, he’s the man for you,” he added.

Kohli has participated in 302 ODIs, amassing 14,181 runs with an impressive average of 57.88, which includes 51 centuries and 74 fifties. His top score stands at 183*, and he was the leading run-scorer in the most recent World Cup held in 2023.

Also read | Shock ahead of IPL 2026? Ex-India star drops massive hint on Virat Kohli’s future with RCB