This may be his last World Cup – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has predicted that the upcoming World Cup could be Virat Kohli’s last. Kohli, 34, is still fit as a fiddle and he will turn 35 during the upcoming ODI showpiece. Ergo, Kohli will be 39 years old when the next World Cup 2027 will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia in October and November.

There is no doubt that Kohli is going to hold the key for the Indian team in the upcoming World Cup while batting at number three. The veteran has all the experience under his belt and he will aim to be at his best in the upcoming major event.

Virat Kohli batted at number three and scored 443 runs in nine matches at an impressive average of 55.38 in the 2019 World Cup. The talisman has amassed 12902 runs in 277 ODI matches at an average of 57.09 and he is regarded as one of the best ODI batters of all time.

Aakash Chopra said on his YouTube Channel, “I think Shubman Gill, Ishan Kishan, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammed Siraj, and maybe Jasprit Bumrah. That’s all I can think of (2027 World Cup). Never say never with Virat Kohli, especially given his fitness standards. However, it may be a bit too far and this may be his last ODI World Cup.”

On the other hand, Shikhar Dhawan had to miss out on the World Cup squad as Shubman Gill grabbed his chance with both hands. In fact, Dhawan played his last ODI for India in 2022 against Bangladesh and he was not even in the race for World Cup selection.

Commenting on Dhawan’s snub, “Look I don’t think Dhawan did much wrong to miss out. It is just about someone else performing so much better that it was impossible to ignore. They have decided that Shubman Gill is the present and the future of Indian cricket and sometimes that’s the price someone else has to pay. So a bit unfortunate for Dhawan.”

India will begin their World Cup campaign against Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on October 8.

India’s Squad for ODI World Cup 2023: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK), Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya (VC), Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah