Ahead of India’s three-match ODI series against Australia starting on October 19, Virat Kohli shared a cryptic post on social media which quickly went viral. While fans speculated that it was a hint of his plans for the 2027 World Cup, the post faced backlash after it was revealed to be an advertisement rather than career news.
Before the three-match series against Australia, India’s ODI team led by Shubman Gill reached Perth under the captaincy of Mitchell Marsh. Kohli is set to make his first international appearance after India’s 2025 Champions Trophy win. After the ODIs, India will continue their tour with a five-match T20I series.
Only then do you truly fail – Virat Kohli
On Thursday, October 16, Virat Kohli shared the post on X (formerly known as Twitter). The post, which quickly went viral, said that true failure comes only when one gives up. Fans felt that Kohli was not ready to retire and was focusing on continuing his cricket journey.
“You only really fail when you decide to give up,” Kohli wrote.
Virat’s last non-brand-related tweet was on September 17, wishing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a happy birthday. He was also active during India’s tour of England, where he praised the Gill-led Test team for their performances in Birmingham and The Oval.
Virat Kohli brutally attacked online after cryptic X post
After his viral post, Kohli shared another message on Instagram along with a promotional video of his apparel brand Rogan. The clip highlights how failures teach lessons that victories cannot, taken from Kohli’s experiences through the ups and downs of his cricket career.
However, fans reacted negatively when they realized that the post was an advertisement rather than an update on the future of their game.
Kohli is so outspoken that almost anyone can guess his next move.
-Aditya Saha (@Adityakrsaha) 16 October 2025
Bhai Boland, is it wrong to use it? I gave you many failures but teach me but nothing happened.
– Pseudoengineer (@pseudoer) 16 October 2025
Nice trap Virat Kohli sir pic.twitter.com/9YH45Z22hS
– Ministry of Satire (@M_OfSarcasm) 16 October 2025
Made a motivational advertisement
– Vikas Sharma (@itsvakshrma_) 16 October 2025
Bcc have some shame???
– Saurav (@Saurav_viratian) 16 October 2025
Also, failure teaches..but victory pays better
– Weatherman Sumit (@WeathermanSumit) 16 October 2025
Pay attention to the prediction pic.twitter.com/fna2UmUVIE
– Parinda 2.0 (@parinda_2) 16 October 2025
There was an advertisement
And here people were making Khayali Pulao…– Anish (@Aishjain07) 16 October 2025
Do you want to sell clothes to recover from failure?
— Abhishek Deshpande | Ugichapla (@ugichapla) 16 October 2025
Virat Kohli has retired from Test and T20 International
Virat Kohli retired from T20Is in June 2024 after India’s World Cup win in Barbados and also stepped away from Test cricket a few weeks before the squad for the England tour was announced.
Although he has been selected for India’s upcoming ODI series against Australia, the selectors and head coach Gautam Gambhir have not confirmed his place for the 2027 World Cup. The management prefers to take one series at a time considering his age and limited ODI playing time.
Kohli has scored 14,181 runs in 302 ODIs at an average of 57.88, including 51 centuries and 74 fifties, with a best score of 183. In 2025, he scored 275 runs in seven innings, including one century and two fifties.
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