Team India cricketer Virat Kohli on Friday, August 15th posted a very emotional message on social media to wish fans a Happy Independence Day. In his message Kohli wrote, " Today we smile in freedom because they stood with unwavering courage. We salute and honor the sacrifices of our heroes on this joyous Independence day. Proud to be an Indian. Jay Hind

Will Kohli retire from ODI's

The Indepence Day message comes amid talks about Kohli not making the cut for the 2027 ODI World Cup. A report by Dianik Jagran suggested that the career could end on the upcoming tour of Australia. The report further stated that Kohli needs to participate in domestic cricket to remain relevant and maintain their place in contention for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa.

However a few days ago, a picture surfaced on Instagram where he was seen with Gujarat Titans' assistant coach Naeem Amin, following an indoor net session. He captioned the post: "Thanks for helping out with the hit, brother. Always lovely to see you." The picture suggested that Kohli had returned to practice after a short break following the rigorous IPL season, signalling that he was still active and focused on preparation.

Virat Kohli on the verge of breaking Kumar Sangakkara's ODI record

Kohli is on the verge of another towering ODI milestone which he can achieve during series against Australia. With 14,181 runs from 302 ODIs, he is just 54 runs shy of surpassing Kumar Sangakkara's total of 14,234 runs to become the second-highest run-scorer in the format's history. While Sachin Tendulkar's record of 18,426 runs from 463 matches appears to be an improbable target, Kohli is all but certain to finish his career as the second-highest run-scorer.