Jersey Number 18 is iconic in Indian cricket. The number belongs to the king Virat Kohli. Whenever and wherever Kohli has played fans have always come out in his support wearing his jersey number for the match. The number 18 jersey has been part of Kohli's life right from the start of his career. As Virat Kohli celebrates his 36th birthday today, we check out the significance of the number in the cricketer's life.
Speaking to Star Sports a couple of years back, Kohli had said, "To be honest, 18 started off as being just a number that was given to me when I first opened that India U19 jersey with my name and number on the back. But it ended up becoming a very very important number in my life. I made my India debut on 18 August . My father also died on 18 December, 2006. Two of the most significant moments of my life happened to be on 18th. Even though I got the number before that, there seems to be a cosmic connection with this date,"
He further added, "I still find it surreal when we go to games and I see people wearing my jersey number and name. I find it surreal because as a kid, I wanted to wear the jersey of my heroes. You just feel grateful and this is just a great opportunity god has given and you just feel blessed,"
Can Virat Kohli help India reach WTC finals?
Having celebarted his birthday in India, Kohli will be next heading to Australia for the Border Gavaskar series. Virat Kohli might not be in the best of forms but Australia has brought the best out of him mentally, emotionally and skill-wise. Kohli is clearly struggling. His last Test century came back in July 2023 in the West Indies. But the change in conditions from spin to bouncier and seaming ones might just be what the doctor ordered for Kohli
