Why is Virat Kohli’s jersey number 18?

Why is Virat Kohli’s jersey number 18?

Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is one of the greatest players to have ever played the game. The current Indian captain has broken record after record and proved time and again that he is the best in the business. A master across all three formats, Kohli’s ability to bat on all conditions and to chase down totals has been unparalleled. After the retirement of the great Sachin Tendulkar, he has been the one who has played a big part in carrying the Indian team forward.

Kohli made his debut back in 2008 for the Indian side and from a brash, youngster, he went from strength to strength to become a legend of the game. Such has been the influence of the batsman this decade that he was named as the ICC Player of the Decade. Today, Virat Kohli is a household name in not only the world of cricket, but the world of sport as well. He has created a name for himself as someone who will go down in history as one of the very best.

Reason behind Virat Kohli wearing jersey number 18

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli wears the jersey number 18 and it has become one of the more iconic ones in the world of cricket. The reason for him wearing ’18’ is to honor the memory of his father. It’s a tribute to the late Mr. Prem Kohli whose dream was to see his son play international cricket. However, before he could witness the same, Prem passed away when his son was just 18 years of age in 2006.

The date of his passing was December 18, 2006 and incidentally, Kohli had been wearing the jersey number 18 while playing in a Ranji Trophy match for Delhi at the same time his father breathed his last. Therefore, Kohli stuck with the same number throughout the domestic season and for the U-19 team later as well. The same carried over to international cricket as well and till date, Kohli has been sporting the number 18 jersey.

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