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The Economic Times
The Economic Times

Virat Kohli says 2027 World Cup will be his last for India, but how many ODIs does he have left?

Virat Kohli has said the 2027 ODI World Cup will be his last tournament for India. He made the statement to broadcaster JioStar on Saturday, saying his goal now is to leave everything on the field and try to win the trophy one final time. Kohli, who plays only the 50 over format now, already retired from T20 internationals and Tests earlier.

That announcement raises an obvious question. How many more ODIs will fans actually get to see Kohli play for India before that final World Cup match in 2027. Based on the confirmed board schedules as of now, here is the full breakdown, series by series.

READ ALSO: Virat Kohli says 2027 World Cup will be his last for India

India vs West Indies at home

India vs West Indies, 1st ODI: Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Trivandrum

India vs West Indies, 2nd ODI: Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at Guwahati

India vs West Indies, 3rd ODI: Saturday, October 3, 2026, at New Chandigarh

This series is Kohli's first assignment since the World Cup announcement, and he is already named in the squad.

India in New Zealand

India vs New Zealand, 1st ODI: Wednesday, November 4, 2026, at Auckland

India vs New Zealand, 2nd ODI: Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Wellington

India vs New Zealand, 3rd ODI: Tuesday, November 10, 2026, at Hamilton

India vs New Zealand, 4th ODI: Friday, November 13, 2026, at Mount Maunganui

India vs New Zealand, 5th ODI: Sunday, November 15, 2026, at Mount Maunganui

This is a full five match series, confirmed by New Zealand Cricket.

India vs Sri Lanka at home

India vs Sri Lanka, 1st ODI: Sunday, December 13, 2026, at Delhi

India vs Sri Lanka, 2nd ODI: Wednesday, December 16, 2026, at Bengaluru

India vs Sri Lanka, 3rd ODI: Saturday, December 19, 2026, at Ahmedabad

This series brings Kohli back to Indian conditions after the New Zealand tour.

India vs Zimbabwe at home

India vs Zimbabwe, 1st ODI: Sunday, January 3, 2027, at Kolkata

India vs Zimbabwe, 2nd ODI: Wednesday, January 6, 2027, at Hyderabad

India vs Zimbabwe, 3rd ODI: Saturday, January 9, 2027, at Mumbai

This is the last confirmed bilateral series before the World Cup year begins.

India at the Asia Cup 2027

India are expected to play the 2027 Asia Cup, likely as an ODI event, but the board has not released India's fixture list yet. So dates, venues and opponents cannot be confirmed for this tournament right now. If India go all the way to the final, this could add as many as six more ODIs to Kohli's tally.

In total, India currently have 14 confirmed bilateral ODIs on the calendar before the World Cup begins, spread across four series and three months, from September 2026 to January 2027. Add the Asia Cup, once confirmed, and that number could rise further before Kohli walks out for what he has now called his final World Cup for India.

India at the 2027 World Cup

The tournament will be jointly hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia and will run from October to November 2027. It will be Kohli's fifth World Cup appearance. The ICC has expanded the format to 14 teams with three stages before the semi-finals, but India's individual fixtures, dates and venues for the tournament have not been announced yet.

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