Why Was Virat Kohli's Number 18 Used by Mukesh Kumar in India A Match? BCCI Official Explains

It is safe to say that former India captain Virat Kohli is synonymous with the number 18. Which is why when he retired from Test cricket, there was an expectation that his jersey number would be retired by the BCCI. 

It is not an unreasonable expectation - the board has previously retired Sachin Tendulkar's number 10 and MS Dhoni's number 7 when the two cricketing greats called time on their career. 

But Kohli's number 18 was recently sported by Mukesh Kumar during the India A vs England Lions first-class game - and it left many a fan unimpressed. 

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Yet a clarification for the choice has now been issued by the BCCI. 

BCCI's Rationale for Mukesh's Decision

A BCCI official has been quoted in a report stating that India A numbers are not fixed, and therefore any player can pick any number they want to. 

"Mukesh wore No. 18 during the opening ‘Test’ match versus Lions. But when it comes to India A squad, there are no fixed numbers as jerseys don’t have names. Anyone can pick any random number. The jersey numbers are only sacrosanct for international games," news agency PTI quoted a senior BCCI official as saying. 

Therefore, if any fan was worried about the number being a permanent one for Mukesh Kumar - that seems unlikely to be the case as of this time. 

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Mukesh Not The First to Be Trolled

However, it is also worth noting that Mukesh is not the first player to pick an iconic number and find himself at the wrong end of social media jokes. 

Shardul Thakur was targetted by fans on social media for picking the number 10 to wear in an ODI against Sri Lanka - the BCCI subsequently retired the jersey. 

Even Riyan Parag found himself at the butt of some jokes when he turned out for India wearing the number 12 that was synonymous with Yuvraj Singh. 

As for Kohli's 18, it may eventually be retired but it is also worth remembering that Kohli is still an active player as he's not yet retired from ODIs. 

Therefore, any talks of hanging the number 18 jersey in the proverbial rafters will have to wait till he is fully retired.