Virat Kohli targets 'dream' finish at ODI World Cup 2027

Virat Kohli has made it clear that his focus is firmly on representing India at the 2027 ODI World Cup in southern Africa. The batting stalwart revealed that his biggest "dream" is to play a match-winning innings in the final and help India lift the coveted trophy after narrowly missing out in the previous edition.

"I've always been someone who wants to be the guy who wins games for the team, and that's never going to change. I am made that way," Kohli said while speaking to Abhinav Mukund on JioStar's Follow the Blues. "So my goal at the World Cup is to win as many games as I can for the team. If I can help win 60-70% of the games, that would be phenomenal. My dream is to play a match-winning finishing knock in the final, ideally while chasing a target. That's the perfect scenario. If it happens, great. If it doesn't, but we still win the World Cup, I'll be just as happy."

Kohli also admitted that India's defeat to Australia in the 2023 ODI World Cup final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad continues to haunt him. He likened the heartbreak to Royal Challengers Bengaluru's loss to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL 2016 final.

"Before we won the IPL in 2025, I used to get flashbacks of the 2016 final against Sunrisers Hyderabad," Kohli said. "I feel the same way about the World Cup final. I was batting on 54 and had set myself up for a big score. I felt that if I could get to 140 or 150, we would be in a great position to win because a total of over 300 in a World Cup final, combined with our bowling attack, would have been very difficult to chase down. But as soon as I got out to Pat Cummins, it was very hard to process. I kept thinking about it for days."

Reflecting on India's campaign, Kohli recalled the strong bond within the squad and the confidence that surrounded the team throughout the tournament.

"That entire World Cup campaign was special. The atmosphere was incredible, and the camaraderie within the team was exceptional. Everyone was happy playing for each other," he said. "Even when we lost Hardik Pandya to injury early in the tournament, we never talked about what might happen next, despite it being a significant setback. Then Mohammed Shami came in and started picking up wickets consistently. Everyone felt that it was our World Cup. There was a different energy around the team, and when things suddenly shifted in the final, it was very difficult to come to terms with it."

Despite the lingering disappointment, Kohli remains motivated by the prospect of helping India reclaim the ODI World Cup and finish on a high.