Dinesh Karthik calls Virat Kohli the "glue" of India’s batting and backs him for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Amid ongoing form concerns due to a long layoff, Dinesh Karthik has raised a glimmer of hope for Indian fans, backing Virat Kohli to play a crucial part in India’s 2027 ODI World Cup campaign in South Africa.
The former India wicket-keeper and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik explained why Kohli remains indispensable to India’s plans for the upcoming 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.
The upcoming three-match ODI series between India and Australia, commencing on Sunday (October 19) at the Optus Stadium in Perth, marks the eagerly awaited return of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, while also serving as Shubman Gill’s first assignment as ODI captain.
Karthik took to his Instagram and posted a video, emphasizing Kohli’s importance in India’s squad during the ODI World Cup 2027, highlighting the batting stalwart’s consistency and ability to absorb pressure as key reasons he is the “glue” of India’s batting lineup.
“Why is Virat Kohli so important for India’s chances for the 2027 ODI World Cup win? If you just see how India have played for some time now, he is the fulcrum. He is the most important glue in that team around which everybody else plays — the likes of Gill, Rohit, Iyer, and Rahul. They all play attacking, positive cricket because they know Virat Kohli is there to absorb pressure in case things go wrong. He will take care of it from one end,” Karthik said in his latest Instagram post.
“He knows how to handle pressure. He’s done it time and again. He is a chase master and is keen to play that World Cup — that is number one,” he added.
The former batter backed his statement with stats, with recent examples from the 2025 Champions Trophy 2025, where Kohli emerged as India’s second leading run-getter.
“Let’s start with pure stats. Since the 2023 World Cup, Virat has scored 1098 runs in 21 matches at an average of 64.58. The latest example — the Champions Trophy against Pakistan — a little bit of a wobble, we were 31/1, and then in the semifinal against Australia, 42/2, he was batting there again. He got 80-odd out of a precarious situation,” Karthik recalled.
In the Champions Trophy 2025, against Pakistan, Kohli smashed a sublime century after India lost Rohit Sharma for just 30 runs. He then played a dodgy 98-ball 84-run knock under pressure against Australia in the semi-final, after the Men in Blue were reeling at 43/2 at one stage. He (218) finished the tournament with the second-most runs for India after Shreyas Iyer (243).
Karthik, who represented Paarl Royals in the SA20 league earlier this year, believes that the former skipper’s presence will be crucial in South Africa under challenging conditions in the rainbow nation during October-November.
“Now let’s move to South Africa, the destination for that World Cup. The event is going to be played in October-November, and I, having been part of the SA20, can tell you that’s the early part of their summer — the pitches will be slightly spicy, with something for the bowlers. It’s always hard and bouncy,” he said.
“The last time India played in 2018 in the bilateral series against South Africa, he got 558 runs with four hundreds in six ODIs. The next best was Shikhar Dhawan with 323 runs. That tells you the difference — 200-odd runs more than the next best player in that series. He knows what it takes to perform there,” Karthik cited Kohli’s incredible record in the Country.
Kohli top-scored in the seven-match series with 558 runs in just six ODIs against South Africa at an average of 186.00. The second-best batter in the series was Shikhar Dhawan, who amassed 323, over 200 runs less than Kohli, pointing out the latter’s ability to tackle one of the best attacks on tough surfaces.
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Virat Kohli last played a competitive cricket match on June 03, the IPL 2025 final between RCB and Punjab Kings. Since then, he hasn’t participated in domestic match, though he has reportedly been practicing in indoor nets at Lord’s. This led to concerns about his match fitness due to his long layoff, arguably the first in many years.
“In London, during the big layoff he’s had after a long time, he was training. He was practicing cricket two to three sessions a week. That tells you the man is serious about wanting to play this World Cup,” Karthik said. “And if he’s around, there’s no tension, according to me. Because he knows what it takes to perform under pressure, and he has done that time and again. I am very confident he will do it again.”
Karthik’s strong backing mentions why Kohli remains a pivotal figure for India as they start building up for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Notably, the 36-year-old (14181) is India’s second and the world’s third highest run scorer in ODI cricket after legendary Sachin Tendulkar (18426) and Kumar Sangakkara (14234), which itself says a lot about the player he is. In the 2023 World Cup, the right-hander scripted history, scoring the most runs in a single edition of the ICC’s 50-over events.
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