‘Its a god given number’ – Fans react as Virat Kohli reveals his story behind jersey number 18

Former India captain and star batter Virat Kohli always wears the No. 18 jersey while representing Team India and the Indian T20 League franchise Bangalore. Virat has now revealed that he wears the number 18 jersey for emotional reasons.

Kohli has worn the No. 18 jersey since his under-19 days when he captained the World Cup-winning under-19 team in 2008. When Virat Kohli was named to the India team in 2018, the number 18 jersey was available, and he took it without hesitation.

“I never asked for number 18, when I got my first U-19 jersey, it was number 18 then when I made my India debut, it was on August 18th, unfortunately, my father passed away on the 18th, so it wasn’t a random number anymore, it stuck with me,” he said.

The 34-year-old’s father died on December 18, 2006, when he was only 17 years old. When his father died, Kohli was in the middle of a Ranji match for Delhi against Karnataka. The veteran cricketer displayed incredible tenacity by agreeing to play the Ranji game the next day. made the brave decision after consulting with his mother and coach. Kohli hit 90 runs in that game, which helped Delhi avoid a follow-on.

“I still remember the night my father passed away as it was the hardest time in my life. But the call to play the morning after my father’s death came instinctively to me,” Kohli had told CNN.

“I called my (Delhi) coach in the morning. I said I wanted to play because for me not completing a cricket game is a sin. That was a moment that changed me as a person. The importance this sport holds in my life is very, very high,” he added.

In the meantime, the former Indian skipper is all set to represent Bangalore in the 15th edition of the Indian T20 League, which begins on the 31st of March. Bangalore will play their first match against Mumbai on the 2nd of April.

Here is how fans reacted to Virat Kohli’s story