Kohli opens up about his relation with the game

Kohli said,"I am being honest to my preparations, I am being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down, I work hard."

New Delhi: Virat Kohli still loves the game enough to be focussed on playing next year’s World Cup but the star India batter also makes it clear that if his worth is constantly called into question in a certain “environment”, he would accept that the “place is not meant” for him.

Speaking on his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s podcast, the 37-year-old superstar said he detests constant change of positions as far as the judgement on his value is concerned.

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“I am always ready because that’s my daily life. You know, I work out, we eat well at home. It is because I like living that way. It is not only to play cricket. So that is where I am. I mean, this 27 (2027 World Cup) chat and all that…I’ve been asked so many times, ‘do you want to play 27?’,” he said.

“I know the answer. Like, why would I leave my home, you know, get my stuff over and be like, I don’t know what I want. Of course, if I’m playing, I want to play cricket. I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing. But as I said, the value has to be two sides,” he asserted.

“My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I am part of, and the environment feels that I can add value, I will be seen. If I am made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I am not in that space,” said Kohli, who is counted among the greats of the game.

Kohli only plays the ODI format now after quitting T20 Internationals in 2024 and Tests in 2025. With ODI schedule shrinking considerably in the past few years, Kohli’s India appearances are now scarce.

The next series he is likely to feature in is the away three-match assignment against England from July 14 to July 19. Despite his desire to be a part of the team, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been largely non-committal on what the future holds for both Kohli and another ODI great Rohit Sharma.

Kohli said he would be around till he is wanted in the set-up.

“I am being honest to my preparations, I am being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down, I work hard. When I arrive to play, I work as hard if not harder than anyone else and I play the game in the right way,” he added.

Giving an insight into his approach towards the game, Kohli said he is always prepared for the grind even as a fielder expected to “run boundary to boundary for 40 overs”.

“I will do that because I prepare accordingly. I am prepared that I will field 50 overs. After operating in this way, if I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me,” he said.

Kohli cited his return to Vijay Hazare Trophy after two decades during the 2025-26 season. He turned up in two games for Delhi and smacked a hundred in one of them besides becoming the fastest to reach 16,000 List A runs.

“I was very clear in my head that I am not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I am going there to play because I love playing the game. That’s how I played Vijay Hazare as well. It was amazing.

“I thought I have played for so long, do I have the motivation? But the moment my intention switched to ‘I want to play because I love the game’, I just loved batting. I felt like a child again. I was like this is not about anyone, this is about me and the game,” he explained.

Considered among the greatest ODI batters of all time, Kohli has 14,797 runs in 311 matches at an average of 58.71. He has amassed 54 centuries and 77 fifties during his ODI journey and has earned the moniker ‘chase master’ for his ability to deliver under pressure.

‘Don’t complicate things’

Kohli said he finds his joy in playing but not in an environment where questions are raised after selection.

“The moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me and be like ‘oh this and that’. Either be clear and honest and upfront or be quiet and let me play. If you go to a workplace and people say we believe in your abilities and a week later they start questioning the way you operate, it’s like why?” he elaborated.

“Either tell me on day one that I am not good enough or I am not needed but if you have said that I am good enough and that we are not thinking otherwise, then be quiet. If you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance,” he said.