The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) addressed the controversy surrounding Mukesh Kumar wearing Virat Kohli’s No. 18 jersey during an India A match against England Lions. Fans expressed anger and criticized the BCCI for allowing this act, deeming it disrespectful towards Kohli, who recently retired from Test cricket. A BCCI official clarified that while players can choose any jersey number for India A matches, their kit number remains the same for international games. It was noted that Mukesh would wear No. 49 if selected for the Test series against England. The discussion on retiring Kohli’s jersey, similar to Tendulkar and Dhoni, hinted that new players entering the Test team may not want to carry the burden of a legacy number. Despite no formal process for retiring jerseys in India, famous numbers have been left unworn by subsequent players. The report mentioned the debut of B Sai Sudharsan and Arshdeep Singh in the upcoming series against England, each with different jersey numbers. Shardul Thakur faced backlash for wearing Tendulkar’s No. 10 jersey in an ODI, leading to a change, while no one has worn Dhoni’s No. 7 since his retirement.
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