Virat Kohli drops massive hint on retirement plans during RCB IPL 2025 event [Watch]
Team India's star batter Virat Kohli dropped a massive hint on his playing future during a recent Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) event. Having retired from T20Is after the World Cup last year, Kohli has set his sights on winning the 2027 50-over World Cup.
The 36-year-old was part of the World Cup-winning team in 2011 and played a significant role in the final against Sri Lanka, scoring 35 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. He came close in 2023 to accomplishing the same but was denied by Australia in the final in Ahmedabad. Nevertheless, the veteran earned the Player of the Tournament award for a record 765 runs including three centuries.
When asked by the host about his next big step during the RCB event, the former Indian captain answered:
"The next big step? I don't know, maybe try to win the next World Cup."
The Delhi-born cricketer had also captained the Men in Blue during the 2019 World Cup hosted by England. The Asian Giants suffered yet another heartbreak on that occasion, losing a low-scoring semi-final to New Zealand in Manchester.
"I feel we've a squad that's ready to take on the world for the next 8 years" - Virat Kohli
Following the recent Champions Trophy win in Dubai, the veteran batter heaped praise on India's bench strength as he backed the Men in Blue to remain at the top for years to come. Kohli said, as qutoed by ESPN Cricinfo:
"When you leave, you want to leave the team in a better place, I feel we've a squad that's ready to take on the world for the next eight years. Shubman [Gill] has been outstanding, Shreyas [Iyer] beautiful, KL [Rahul] has finished games, and Hardik [Pandya] has been superb with the bat. It's been amazing. We wanted to bounce back after a tough Australian tour, and wanted to win a big tournament, and we ended up doing that. So it's an amazing feeling."
The right-hander will be in action for India next during the away Test series against England in June.