New Delhi, Oct 16 (IANS) Ahead of his much-anticipated return to the Indian squad for the ODI series against Australia, batting maestro Virat Kohli posted a cryptic message on social media, stirring speculation surrounding his future in international cricket.

“The only time you truly fail is when you decide to give up,” wrote Kohli in an X post that has since gone viral with over 739K views within an hour.

India’s white-ball tour of Australia begins with the ODI opener on October 19 at Perth Stadium, followed by matches at Adelaide Oval and the Sydney Cricket Ground on October 23 and 25, respectively. A five-match T20I series will follow, starting October 29.

Kohli is returning to national setup for the first time after winning the Champions Trophy in March. He was the second-highest run-scorer in the tournament.

Having retired from both Tests and T20Is since June 2024, Kohli’s focus is now solely on ODIs for India and the Indian Premier League (IPL) commitments with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB).

Kohli, who has 14,181 runs in 302 ODIs, last played competitive cricket when he struck a match-winning 43 in the IPL 2025 final, helping RCB finally lift their maiden trophy after beating Punjab Kings by six runs in the title clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Kohli will now play under the new captain, Shubman Gill, who has been named ODI captain, replacing Rohit, who has also retired from T2OIs and Tests cricket.

With the ODI World Cup still two years away and the recent form of Kohli, 36 as well as Rohit, 38, the uncertainty looms over their future beyond.

Gautam Gambhir gave his blunt reply when asked about the ODI future of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma with the ODI World Cup 2027 in mind, saying it is important for the team to stay in the present. He, however, expressed hope that the duo will have a successful ODI tour of Australia, which starts on October 19 in Perth.

“Look, ODI World Cup is still about two and a half years away and I think it is very important to stay in the present. Obviously, there are quality players coming back and their experience is going to be helpful in Australia as well. Hopefully, those two guys will have a successful tour and more importantly, as a team, we will have a successful tour,” Gambhir had said.

–IANS

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