NEW DELHI– As anticipation builds for his return to Team India for the upcoming ODI series against Australia, star batter Virat Kohli has sparked fresh speculation about his future in international cricket with a cryptic message on social media.
“The only time you truly fail is when you decide to give up,” Kohli wrote in a post on X that quickly went viral, racking up more than 739,000 views within an hour of being shared.
India’s white-ball tour of Australia begins on October 19 with the first ODI at Perth Stadium, followed by matches at Adelaide Oval on October 23 and the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 25. The tour will continue with a five-match T20I series starting October 29.
Kohli’s return to the national setup marks his first appearance since leading India to victory in the Champions Trophy in March, where he finished as the tournament’s second-highest run-scorer.
Having retired from both Tests and T20Is in June 2024, the 36-year-old now focuses exclusively on ODIs and his Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). Kohli last played competitive cricket in the IPL 2025 final, where his match-winning 43 helped RCB clinch their maiden title with a six-run victory over Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.
Kohli, who has scored 14,181 runs in 302 ODIs, will now play under new ODI captain Shubman Gill, who succeeds Rohit Sharma following Rohit’s retirement from Tests and T20Is.
With the next ODI World Cup still two years away, questions linger over the long-term future of both Kohli and Rohit. Former India opener Gautam Gambhir, when asked about their prospects for the 2027 World Cup, emphasized the importance of focusing on the present while expressing optimism about their upcoming performances.
“Look, the ODI World Cup is still about two and a half years away, and I think it is very important to stay in the present,” Gambhir said. “Obviously, there are quality players coming back, and their experience will be helpful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour and, more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful tour.” (Source: IANS)
