Anurag Kumar
Earlier this month, Virat Kohli came agonizingly close to claiming his second World Cup championship; however, defeat was the finish line. Kohli, a contemporary maestro and a global icon, holds nearly every conceivable ODI batting record; in an ideal world, he would have had the most fitting narrative by winning the World Cup at home. The word ‘ideal’ is, however, rarely employed in the context of sports. On the evening of November 19, Kohli and his entire team discovered the truth the arduous way when Australia defeated the odds-on favorites India to storm to a sixth World Cup victory and shatter the hearts of an entire nation.
As a result of yet another devastating knockout result, Kohli and Rohit Sharma’s hopes of winning an ICC championship were dashed. Both players have not participated in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) since India’s semifinal exit in Australia during the World Cup last year. This suggests that their careers in the shorter format may have reached their conclusion. Regardless of transient rumors, it is improbable that either of them will be selected to represent Australia in the T20 World Cup the following year. India has discovered a promising group of youthful players in Rinku Singh, Tilak Varma, and Ruturaj Gaikwad; therefore, reverting to Rohit and Kohli could be detrimental to their progress.
The following major concern is the 50-over World Cup in 2027. Is Kohli set to play? By the time South Africa hosts the tournament, he will be 39 years old, which diminishes his chances. However, if David Warner is to be believed, Kohli may not only participate in the 2027 World Cup, but may also skip it until 2031, when India will once again host the tournament. At that point, Kohli will be 43 years old, but Warner believes he can continue for an additional eight years, given how much significance Virat places on his fitness.
“He is extremely fit and passionate about the sport; there is no reason why he can’t,” Warner responded to a fan post on X that wished Kohli would compete in the 2031 World Cup.
No contemporary Indian player has progressed to that point. In fact, Sachin Tendulkar is the only Indian to have exceeded 40 while stretching. The MS Dhoni continued until 39. CK At 40 years and 289 days, Nayudu is the second-eldest player to have participated in a Test match. Vinoo Mankad, at 41 years and 305 days, was the oldest to have done so; however, that was decades ago, when one-day internationals did not exist.
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Additionally, Warner provided a rather amusing reply in response to a question regarding his intention to participate in the upcoming World Cup. In response to the inquiry, “Sir, do you intend to participate in the 2027 World Cup as well? “I would like to see you in that WC, please,” Warner replied sarcastically with the emoji ‘2031’ representing his response.
