India great Virat Kohli has never hidden from scrutiny. What he appears unwilling to tolerate anymore is ambiguity.
Speaking on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru podcast, the former India captain made it clear that if his place or value is in doubt, he would rather hear it directly than navigate what he perceives as shifting signals.
“The moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me and be like ‘oh this and that’, either be clear and honest and upfront or be quiet and let me play.
“If you go to a workplace and people say we believe in your abilities, and a week later they start questioning the way you operate, it’s like why?
“Either tell me on day one I’m not good enough or I’m not needed. Or if you’ve said I’m good enough and you say we’re not even thinking otherwise, then be quiet.”
The remarks arrive at a time when Kohli, now 37, occupies a curious phase of his international career. He has stepped away from Tests and T20Is, yet remains central to India’s ODI plans, with the 2027 World Cup in South Africa looming as a realistic target.
And there is enough evidence to suggest that belief in his continued value is not built on nostalgia alone.
Kohli remains one of the finest ODI batters the format has produced. Only Sachin Tendulkar has scored more runs in men’s ODIs than Kohli’s 14,797. Across 311 matches, he averages 58.71, a number that becomes even more formidable in chases, where it climbs to 65.78.
The conditions for the next World Cup may suit him too. In South Africa, where the 2027 tournament will be played, Kohli averages 76.38 from 20 ODIs, thriving historically on surfaces that reward timing and tempo as much as power.
What also emerged was Kohli’s insistence that preparation, for him, is not event-based. It is lifestyle-based.
“No one can guarantee performance in any space. But in terms of effort and commitment, I know what I can deliver because I literally live my life like that.
“It’s not like I prepare for a series to suddenly start working hard two or three weeks before. I’m like that through the year. So if you call me to play and if you say there’s a series coming up, I’m ready.
“I’m always ready because that’s my daily life. I work out, we eat well at home. It’s because I like living that way. It’s not only to play cricket. So that’s where I am.”
Published on May 16, 2026