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It’s been 18 years since Virat Kohli made his India debut and he is still going strong at 37. Kohli turns 38 this year and in a video shared by RCB, opened up on how he still has to prove himself even now. When asked about the 2027 ODI World Cup, he said he would love to play it but must feel valued by the BCCI. It was a clear message to the board.

Kohli retired from Tests in 2025 and T20Is in 2024 and so now plays just ODIs. He made his Vijay Hazare Trophy comeback and revealed it made him feel like a child again. The man is in form, fit, a brilliant batter, a great fielder and a skilled strategist.

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"My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I am a part of, and the environment feels like 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'm not in that space. Because I am being honest to my preparation. I am being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down. I work hard. I am very thankful to God for giving me everything that I have been given in my cricketing career. And I feel very blessed and grateful for the opportunity. And when I arrive to play, I put my head down," he said.

"I work as hard, if not harder than anyone else. And I play the game in the right way. You want me to run boundary to boundary for 40 overs in an ODI game? I will do that without a complaint. Because I prepare accordingly. I prepare for the fact that I will feel ,50 overs, every ball like it's the last ball I'm going to play in my career. And I will bat that way. And I will run between the wickets that way. And I will do everything possible for the team. After operating like this, if I have to be in a place where I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me. There was not a single person at the Centre of Excellence (in Bengaluru, which hosted the matches). I have played for so long, and thought, will it be motivating enough? But the moment my intention switched to, I want to play because I love playing. I just love batting. And I just want to focus on that. And I could not care. It is not like I did not feel," he added.

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"I was like, this is not about anyone else. This is about me and the game. And that is what it is going to be. And the moment I feel like, you know, people are trying to complicate it for me and be like, oh, but this and that. Either be clear and honest upfront or be quiet and let me play. It is like, why? Either tell me on day one, I am not good enough or I am not needed. Or if you have said I am good enough and you say we are not even thinking otherwise, then be quiet. You know, then don't. If you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance. And I'm not someone who behaves like that. As I said, when I come to play, I know what I can deliver in terms of effort, performance," he went on to say.

"I know what I can deliver because I literally live my life like that. It is not like I prepare for a series to, you know, suddenly start working hard two or three weeks before. I am like that through the year. So if you call me to play, and if you say there is a series coming up, I am ready. 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, honestly, for me, it is like, we are at like mid 26. But I've been asked so many times, do you want to play 27?. 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 continued.

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Kohli ODI numbers speak for themselves. The man has made 14,797 runs in 299 innings from 311 games at an average of 58.71 and a strike rate of 93.82. Add to that 54 100s and 77 50s with a top score of 183. He holds the world record for most ODI 100s and has the 2nd highest number of ODI runs. Only Sachin Tendulkar is ahead of him.

Right now, Kohli is playing for RCB in IPL 2026 as he looks to help his team retain the title. He’s in contention for the Orange Cap with the 3rd most runs so far in this edition. In 12 innings, Kohli has made 484 runs at an average of 53.78 with a strike rate of 165.75. His top score is 105 not out and he has three fifties along with his one 100 this season.