There has to be a cosmic connection with 18: Virat Kohli

Whenever the number 18 is talked about, cricket aficionados only relate the number to one man, and that is the legendary India batter Virat Kohli. Being a stalwart for the Indian national team and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Kohli has been well-established as one of the greatest batters of this generation.

Recently, the 34-year-old appeared in an interview with Star Sports where he talked about the importance of his jersey number (18). He revealed that 18 started off as just being randomly assigned to him, but over time it has made a big impact on his career and he feels a cosmic connection with the number.

"To be honest, 18 started off just being a number and was given to me when I first opened the India U-19 jersey. That was the first time I got my name and number on the back, and I got 18. I never asked for it; it was just given to me, but then it ended up becoming a very important number in my life," Kohli said in an interview with Star Sports.

"My debut game for India was on the 18th of August, and my father passed away on the 18th of December, two of the most significant dates in my life happened to be 18, but I got the number way before that, so there has to be a cosmic connection with this number.

"I find it quite surreal, even now to be honest when we are going to a game and I see so many people wearing my jersey number and name along with so many other people. I never imagine I would be in this position one day," he added.

Virat Kohli to push RCB to playoff finish

Currently, Royal Challengers Bangalore find themselves in fifth place on the IPL points table with 12 points in 12 games. Winning six games in the tournament so far, ace batter Virat Kohli has played a big hand in the sublime performances that the side has put forth in the tournament so far.

With 438 runs in 12 IPL games so far, Kohli sits in sixth place in the race for the IPL 2023 orange cap. With two games left in the group stages of the tournament for Bangalore, the side would hope that Kohli gets on top of his game in the forthcoming clashes and propel them to the knockout stages of the tournament.