Virat Kohli RCB Jersey Number
Virat Kohli is one of India’s biggest ever cricketing superstars. The ICC U19 World Cup-winning captain has ruled international cricket for more than a decade now. The captain of the Indian cricket team has scored 7765 runs in Test cricket, 12196 runs in ODI cricket and 3159 runs in T20Is. do you know Virat Kohli’s RCB jersey number?
While he has been a star for India, he has also been the pillar of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League. Virat Kohli is the highest run-getter of the Indian Premier League (IPL). In 196 innings, he has scored 6235 runs for Bangalore.
What jersey number does Kohli wear for RCB in the Indian Premier League?
Numerologists are of the opinion that jersey number plays a big role in determining whether a player will be successful or not. There have been many superstars from the Indian cricket team whom we associate with their jersey numbers.
Sachin Tendulkar, the God of cricket, is synonymous with the jersey number 10. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, former captain of the Indian team, made the number 7 jersey popular among fans. Virat Kohli wears jersey number 18 for both India and for RCB.
Is there any story behind the number 18 jersey of Virat Kohli?
The numbers 10 and 7 are very popular in football as well. However, jersey number 18 is not common in football or in any other sport. Only a handful of players have sported this jersey, and hence, fans are often curious to know why Virat Kohli chose the jersey number 18.
There is an emotional story behind the number. Then only 18 years of age, the Indian captain was playing a domestic match for his state, Delhi. It was a Ranji Trophy game against Karnataka.
Fulfilling his father’s dream
While the beloved son of India was representing Delhi, Virat Kohli’s father Prem Kohli passed away on the 18th of December, 2006. Prem Kohli was the driving force behind his son’s indomitable attitude.
Virat Kohli’s father took him to cricket coaching and dreamed of seeing his son play for India. Since he passed away on the 18th day of the month, and Kohli was 18 years old at that time, he decided to sport jersey number 18 in international cricket and also in IPL. He also fulfilled his father’s dream very soon, when he represented India, albeit the U19 team.
When young Kohli proved his invincible attitude
Let us take you back in a time machine to 2006, when Kohli was just a blooming kid with loads of potential. On hearing about the unfortunate news of his father’s demise, he didn’t let his concentration get affected and played a fantastic knock in what was a fitting tribute with his father.
In that Group A match of the Ranji Trophy Super League, Karnataka scored 446 runs. In response, Delhi found themselves at 59/5. At that time, Kohli was a middle-order batter.
He helped Delhi get back in the game by playing a superb knock of 90 runs. Alongside wicketkeeper Puneet Bisht, Virat Kohli took Delhi’s score from 59/5 to 211/5. This knock was a glimpse of the mindset of this cricketer, who would carry the hopes of the entire country and become a player the nation can be proud of, thanks to his undying spirit and unparalleled hard work.
Other cricketers who wore jersey number 18
Virat Kohli is not the only cricketer to sport 18 in his jersey. Let us have a look at some of the other players who wore the same number:
Smriti Mandhana
Smriti Mandhana did not consciously decide to wear 18. The opener of the Indian women’s team wanted the number 7, but since it was not available, BCCI assigned number 18 to her.
Faf du Plessis
The South African batter, Faf du Plessis, is another cricketer who wears jersey number 18. He made that decision as he made his debut in international cricket on 18 January 2011. He has stuck to this number throughout his career.
Trent Boult
New Zealand pacer Trent Boult, who has played in IPL teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and currently represents the Mumbai Indians franchise, initially started off with the number 8. He shifted to number 18 seven years ago.
Famous jersey numbers in the Indian cricket team
Let us now have a look at the stories behind some famous jersey numbers among fans:
Rohit Sharma – 45
Deputy to Virat Kohli in the Indian cricket team, Rohit Sharma wears number 45. Like Kohli, the batting maestro has an emotional attachment to this number. His mother picked this number, and the Indian vice-captain has stuck to it to pay tribute to his mother. Sharma has the highest score in ODI of 264 runs.
Yuvraj Singh – 12
Like Rohit Sharma’s 45, Yuvraj Singh’s jersey number 12 is also very famous. The former all-rounder won the hearts of millions and billions with his six consecutive against England in the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup, but besides that, he has played countless match-winning knocks for the nation. He wore number 12 because he was born on 12th December at sector 12, on the 12th hour of the day.
MS Dhoni – 7
The ICC World Cup-winning captain has made the number 7 jersey larger than life among fans. Being a hardcore Manchester United fan, Dhoni saw the likes of George Best and Cristiano Ronaldo play for his favourite team, wearing number 7. He was also born on 7th July.
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