Fans Slam Mukesh Kumar for Donning Iconic Virat Kohli's no 18 Jersey in England

Virat Kohli's Test career came to an end just weeks before India's five-match tour of England when he announced his retirement early this month.

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By Emilia Blake in Cricket
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Mukesh Kumar wears Virat Kohli's no 18 Jersey

Photograph: (Source: OneCricket)

Following a photo of him wearing Virat Kohli's No. 18 shirt during India A's maiden unofficial Test match against the England Lions at Canterbury's St Lawrence Ground, fast bowler Mukesh Kumar received harsh criticism on social media. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) came under fire for "disrespecting" Kohli, and he was inundated with hate mail online.

Fans are furious about the incident, especially because Kohli declared his retirement from Test cricket on May 12, just a few weeks prior. The No. 18 shirt has symbolised Kohli's fervour and skill in red-ball cricket for more than ten years. After playing 123 Test matches for India, hitting 9230 runs and captaining the squad in 68 of those games, Kohli's retirement signalled the end of an era of greatness. Fans are still processing that Kohli is no longer playing in the longest format.

Mukesh Kumar wears Virat Kohli's no 18 Jersey:

Bengal spinner Mukesh, who had previously worn the No. 49 shirt, changed it to the No. 18 jersey since Kohli's No. 18 jersey was up for grabs. Although it is unclear if the change is temporary or permanent, fans were incensed when they saw him wearing Kohli's famous jersey number. They attacked the BCCI as well as the former India captain, claiming that he "deserves the same respect" as Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni. Following their retirement, the Indian board retired both of their jerseys for the uninitiated.

To honor their legacies, the BCCI has earlier retired Dhoni's No. 7 and Tendulkar's No. 10. Fans think No. 18 should receive the same treatment as Kohli because of his contributions to Indian Test cricket, including leading the team to the World Test Championship's top spot and establishing a new culture inside the Test team. After the seasoned batter puts up his boots from the 50-over format, though, the board might follow suit.

Meanwhile, Karun Nair's double century and significant efforts from Sarfaraz Khan (92) and Dhruv Jurel (94) helped India A smash 557 in their opening innings of the match. With hits from Tom Haines (124*) and Max Holden (94*), the England Lions fought back, reaching 290/2 after 65 overs on Day 3. Anshul Kamboj and Harsh Dubey made the pivotal breakthroughs for the Indian bowlers, while Mukesh has yet to claim a wicket and has given up 48 runs in nine overs.

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