India batting superstar Virat Kohli made it clear that if his value is continuously questioned in a particular “environment,” he would understand that the “place is not meant” for him, even though he still loves the game enough to be focused on competing in the World Cup next year.
In an interview with the podcast of his IPL team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the 37-year-old great stated that he hates having his worth constantly assessed.
“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.
After retiring from T20 Internationals in 2024 and Tests in 2025, Kohli now only plays in the ODI format. Kohli’s outings for India are now rare due to the ODI schedule’s significant reduction in recent years.
He will probably play in the next series, which is a three-match away contest against England from July 14 to July 19. Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of India, has been mainly unsure about the future of both Kohli and another ODI legend, Rohit Sharma, despite his desire to be a member of the team.
According to Kohli, he will remain in the setup till he is needed.
“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.
Despite being required to “run boundary to boundary for 40 overs” as a fielder, Kohli revealed that he is always ready for the grind, providing insight into his playing style.
“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.
In the 2025–2026 season, Kohli mentioned his return to the Vijay Hazare Trophy after 20 years. In addition to becoming the fastest player to amass 16,000 List A runs, he played in two games for Delhi and scored a hundred in one of them.
“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.
With 14,797 runs at an average of 58.71 in 311 games, Kohli is regarded as one of the best ODI batters of all time. Throughout his ODI career, he has scored 54 hundreds and 77 fifties, earning the nickname “chase master” for his capacity to perform well under pressure.
According to Kohli, he enjoys playing but not in a setting where selection is followed by questions.
“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.
