3 Reasons why Virat Kohli should retire from ODIs

Virat Kohli was on the 9th cloud as India became three-time champions after winning the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. India defeated New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9.

Virat Kohli might have scored only 1 run in the tournament final against New Zealand, but India qualified for the summit clash only because of Kohli’s knock against Australia in the semi-finals. Kohli made 84 runs in the knockout clash and led India to the final of the tournament.

Kohli made 218 runs including the 100* against Pakistan, in which the leader once again aced it when India was in a tough spot in the chase.

Now that Kohli has won his 4th ICC Trophy, which includes one World Cup, one T20 World Cup, and two Champions Trophies, there are rumors that Kohli should retire from the ODI format and let others shine.

In this article, we take a look at three very valid reasons why Virat Kohli should retire from ODI cricket.

Here are the 3 reasons why Virat Kohli should retire from ODIs

1. Run making drying up

Though Virat Kohli lit up the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 tournament with 218 runs to his name, including one century and one fifty, the build-up for the tournament was not ideal for the legendary batter. He had scored just 58 runs in 3 ODIs in 2024 with a best of 24, all against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. In 2025, Kohli played three ODIs against England; he scored 57 runs in two ODIs.

Despite the minor bump in the run made by Kohli, the question remains whether this will continue in the future. India plays six more ODIs in the year—three against Bangladesh in August and three against South Africa at home. If Kohli continues to play ODIs, he needs to score big if he wants to be on track to play in the ICC World Cup 2027 in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.

2. The leg-spin threat continues

Virat Kohli has a huge Achilles heel in ODIs, like his weakness against outside off-stump in Tests. That being his trouble in playing leg-spinners. Kohli has fallen to leg-spin 23 times in One-Day Internationals; leg-spin has accounted for 9.43% of his 244 dismissals. Since 2024, he has been dismissed by leg spinners 6 times, scoring only 72 runs in 7 innings.

He did have a minor win over Adam Zampa in the Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia during his knock of 84 runs. Before this match, Kohli had struggled against Abrar Ahmed in the Pakistan match. Even Adil Rashid had his number in the ODI series before the ICC event. If Virat Kohli doesn’t find a way to counter leg spin, then he should gracefully hang up his gloves and retire.

3. Better and young options waiting for chances

Virat Kohli’s experience is invaluable in the middle order. He has owned the No. 3 spot in ODIs since 2010 and has had many successful innings at the spot. But like it was with Sachin Tendulkar, Kohli also needs to reassess his position in ODIs.

Kohli was groomed for his position by Tendulkar and Dravid, and now he needs to groom someone like Tilak Varma for the no. 3 spot. India also has the option of Ruturaj Gaikwad, who can be very effective at the No. 3 spot, given his prowess at the top of the order. However, it means that India has options to replace Virat Kohli and build a solid unit to start preparing for the ICC World Cup 2027 tournament.

Kohli only plays two formats for India, Tests and ODIs; however, the focus for the next few months will be the IPL and then the tour of England for five Tests. Kohli and India don’t have many ODIs in the coming 2-3 years to get a new unit to gel and be ready for the World Cup in Africa.

Stay updated with the latest cricket news, match insights, and exclusive updates at BetBarter and download the BetBarter app to start betting today!