Virat Kohli’s silence on ODI future leaves Ajit Agarkar in the dark; 2027 World Cup now a distant dream: Report

Virat Kohli’s silence left Ajit Agarkar uncertain over his ODI future, with doubts persisting about his long-term plans and the 2027 World Cup.

Virat Kohli's return to international cricket remains unclear, and his ODI future remains a mystery, leaving chief selector Ajit Agarkar increasingly pessimistic. Kohli last played for India in the Champions Trophy earlier this year, where the team won a second successive ICC trophy under Rohit Sharma, and has not been in action since the IPL 2025 final in May.

Will Virat Kohli be a part of Australia ODIs? (PTI)

According to a report in RevSportz, there is an aura of "pessimism" around Kohli's future in international cricket owing to "lack of communication" from the former India captain. The development comes days after both he and Rohit Sharma were not named in the India A squad for the upcoming 50-over series against Australia A at home. The report added that the team management wanted both players in the series in the lead-up to the white-ball tour of Australia.

Currently, Australia A are touring India for a Test series. Following the end of the second unofficial game in Lucknow, India A will play three 50-over matches at the Green Park Stadium in Kanpur. Speculations were rife that both senior batters would be part of the contest in a bid to gear up for the ODI series in Australia, given that neither has played competitive cricket since the IPL 2025.

However, both Rohit and Kohli did clear their mandatory pre-season fitness tests, conducted earlier this month. While the India ODI captain travelled to the BCCI's Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru for the test and remained there to train, which was speculated to be for the ODI series against Australia, Kohli had the privilege of having his tests done in London.

The report added that the fresh development around Kohli has sparked doubts over his future in ODI cricket, with the 50-over World Cup still two years away.

Earlier this summer, there were rumours following a media report that both would make their final appearance in international cricket in the tour of Australia. Rohit and Kohli had already retired from T20Is in June last year, after India's T20 World Cup title win in Barbados, and exited from Test cricket in May this year. The report said that with the BCCI likely to pressure them into playing domestic cricket in a bid to stay relevant for selection in ODI cricket, both would quit the format and bow out from international cricket in October.

Both have yet to address the speculations.