Virat Kohli has lost the chance of playing on his home turf in Delhi for the last time | IMAGE Courtesy - Royal Challengers Bengaluru/ AI ENHANCED GRAPHIC
Virat Kohli is unlikely to get a chance to play a final game for India on his home turf, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in
New Delhi, as the Board of Control of India (BCCI) has shifted the first ODI between India and Sri Lanka, scheduled to take place on December 13, from the national capital. The Indian cricket governing body has revealed that the ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam will host the season opener instead.
The reason behind the change in venue is due to a request from the Delhi District Cricket Association (DDCA), as renovation work is taking place at the venue currently. "The venue change has been made following a request from the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA), in view of the potential weather disruption and the proposed renovation work at the stadium," said the BCCI statement.
In a recent interview, Kohli dropped a major hint that he will retire from international cricket after the ICC Cricket World Cup 2027, which will take place from October 2 to November 21 in South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe next year. The 38-year-old only plays ODI cricket for India after quitting T20Is in 2024 and Test cricket in 2025.
As things stand, India are not scheduled to play any more ODIs in Delhi till the 2027 World Cup. In fact, India only has one more ODI series scheduled till the start of the 2027 IPL (which will mark the end of the current Future's Tour Programme), which is a home series against Zimbabwe in January, where Mumbai, Kolkata, and Hyderabad will host the fixtures.
While the schedule from June till the World Cup is not known yet known, it is unlikely there will be a home ODI series for India as the 2027 Asia Cup is scheduled in this period. Meanwhile, reliable reports have stated that the team will tour the West Indies while also playing a six-match ODI series against South Africa (yet to be confirmed).
However, Kohli will get a chance to play for India for likely the last time in his adopted home (IPL franchise RCB's home venue), Bengaluru, as the Chinnaswamy Stadium will host the second ODI on December 16.
It is worth noting that the Arun Jaitley Stadium was formerly known as the Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium and has been the venue where Kohli played most of his cricket growing up, as it is the home venue of the Delhi state side, where the Indian cricket legend made his mark as a cricketer before his selection in the Indian team.
Aayush Kataria is a Senior Copy Editor at Times Network with five years of experience, having started his career in the organisation. He is a key memb... View More
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