Will Virat Kohli play World Cup 2027? AB de Villiers gives major verdict on former captain's ODI retirement

Add as a preferred source on Google

Virat Kohli is gearing up for the World Cup 2023 which starts from October 5, however, such is the hype around the start batter, that people are already wondering if he will travel to South Africa for the World Cup 2027?

Virat Kohli will turn 35 in November, that means the former India captain would be almost 39 years of age when the next edition of the World Cup takes place in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, AB de Villiers said that it is very difficult to predict if Kohli will be featuring in the World Cup 2027. However, he suggested that Virat Kohli should retire from ODIs if India wins the upcoming World Cup 2023 and focus only on Test cricket and 'a little bit of IPL'.

"I know he loves travelling to South Africa (for the 2027 World Cup), but it's very difficult to say. It is a long time away. Let's focus on this one first, I think that's what Virat Kohli would tell you. I think if they win this World Cup, it might not be a bad time to say, 'Thank you very much. I am maybe just going to play Test cricket for the next few years and a little bit of IPL, enjoy the last bit of my career, have enough family time, and say goodbye to everyone'," AB de Villiers, the former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate of Virat Kohli in IPL, said.

Virat Kohli is all set for his fourth ODI World Cup. Kohli, Rohit Sharma (36-year-old), Ravindra Jadeja (will turn 35 in December) and Ravichandran Ashwin (37-year-old) are most probably going to feature in their last ODI World Cup and therefore Team India would be aiming to make this home World Cup memorable for these veteran cricketers. Mohammed Shami, 33, might also feature in the ODI World Cup for the last time.