Reports and rumours surrounding Virat Kohli's India future have been rife, with doubts emerging whether the 36-year-old may retire in the near future. Following India's success under Shubman Gill in Test cricket, reports have suggested that India may transition to the younger generation before the 2027 World Cup in ODIs too. However, that seemingly has had no effect on Kohli's preparation. Kohli, who is based in London, is apparently already putting in some practice despite his next international game possibly being two months away.
Kohli is expected to feature for India once again on October 19, when India tour Australia for a three-match ODI series.
However, Kohli recently took a selfie with a fan in London; the picture has gone viral on the internet. In the picture, Kohli can be seen in training gear inside a practice net, indicating that he is already preparing to return to action.
The viral photograph has been met with immense fanfare. Kohli is arguably the most popular cricketer in the world.
"The 2027 World Cup is on!" posted one fan on X.
"My man is alive and practicing too!" said another.
"He is practicing and the ODI series with Australia doesn't start till October. We are back!" posted a third.
Kohli's practice image comes exactly 17 years to the day he made his international debut. However, now the 'Chasemaster' is only active in one format.
Should Kohli manage to extend his career for a few more years, he is still in with a slim shot of catching Sachin Tendulkar's tally for the most runs by a batter in ODI cricket. Kohli, who recently crossed 14,000 runs, is just over 4,000 runs short of Tendulkar's record. However, Kohli boasts a significantly better average than Tendulkar.
Kohli's latest action came in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025, where he ended 18 years of wait for a title as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) won the tournament.