Virat Kohli has made it clear that his future with the Indian cricket team will depend on one thing and that is trust. The former India captain, who now plays only ODI cricket for the national side, spoke candidly about his mindset regarding the 2027 Cricket World Cup and his relationship with the game during a conversation on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s podcast.
Having stepped away from T20Is and Test cricket over the last two years, Kohli remains one of India’s senior-most figures in the 50-over format. At 37, questions around his future continue to follow him, particularly with another ODI World Cup still more than a year away. Kohli, however, indicated that his motivation remains intact as long as the environment around him remains honest and uncomplicated.
“My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I’m a part of, and the environment feels like I can add value, I’ll be seen. If I’m made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I’m not in that space, and because I’m being honest to my preparation, I’m being honest to how I approach the game,” Kohli said in the conversation with Mayanti Langar.
“When I arrive to play, I put my head down, I work as hard, if not harder than anyone else, and I play the game in the right way. You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game? I will do that without a complaint, because I prepare accordingly. I prepare for the fact that I will feel 50 overs every ball like it’s the last ball I’m going to play in my career, and I will back that way, and I will run between the wickets that, and I will do everything possible for the team after operating like this. If I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me. And I am very clear in my head from that perspective,” the Delhi-born added.
Kohli reflects on returning to domestic cricket
Kohli also reflected on his return to domestic cricket through Vijay Hazare Trophy. The star batter noted that he wasn’t too sure about going back, but once he made the decision, he enjoyed being back on the field as his core feeling is to enjoy the time on the field.
“When I went back to play, I was very clear in my head, I’m not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I am going to play because I love playing the game. That’s how I played Vijay Hazare (Trophy) as well. Yeah, I was playing. There was not a lot of fun, amazing. It was not a person in the Centre of Excellence, COE. Firstly, I thought, you know, how I played for so long, and will it be motivating enough?” Kohli said.
“But the moment my intention switched to I want to play because I love playing, I just love batting and I just want to focus on that, and I could not care. It’s not like I didn’t field. I fielded the whole game, and I was diving around, and I felt like a child again. I was like, this is not about anyone else, this is about me and the game, and that’s what it’s going to be. And the moment I feel like, you know, people are trying to complicate it for me, and be like, oh, but this and that, either be clear and honest upfront, or be quiet and let me play," he added.
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