"My Father Died On 18th...": Virat Kohli On 'Cosmic Connection' Regarding His Jersey Number

Regarded by many as the greatest batter of his generation, Virat Kohli enjoys a huge fan following within the cricketing folklore. Not only because of his performances on the field, Kohli's aggression and strong mindset also separate him from his peers. However, his jersey number, 18, is one of the prime parameters of his association with his ardent followers. Ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), Kohli explained the importance of number 18 in his life.

Kohli revealed that initially 18 was just a number which was given to him, but over the years, the number has developed a "cosmic connection" with his life.

"To be honest, 18 started off as being just a number that was given to me when I first opened that India U-19 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 August 18. My father also died on December 18, 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," Kohli said in a video uploaded by Star Sports.

Today's date VK's jersey no.@ImVkohli explains the importance of in his life's events! Will today's match in the #RaceToPlayOffs add to the list? Tune-in to #SRHvRCB at #IPLonStar Today | Pre-show at 6:30 PM & LIVE action at 7:30 PM| Star Sports Network #BetterTogether pic.twitter.com/SWlA8gT3d0

Kohli added that feels "blessed" to see fans donning jerseys with his name and number on their backs.

"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.