Latest news with #No.18
Hindustan Times
4 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Mukesh Kumar bombarded with hate for donning Virat Kohli's No. 18 in England; BCCI pummeled for ‘disrespect'
India fast bowler Mukesh Kumar was shown no mercy on social media after a picture of him wearing Virat Kohli's No. 18 jersey in India A's first unofficial Test match against the England Lions at the St Lawrence Ground, in Canterbury. He was bombarded on the internet with hate messages while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) was called out for "disrespecting" Kohli. Kohli retired earlier last month, ending his Test career just weeks before India's five-match tour of England. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar later revealed that the 36-year-old had already made up his mind in April. With Kohli gone, his No. 18 jersey was up for grabs, and Bengal bowler Mukesh, who previously donned the No. 49 jersey, switched his jersey number to 18. While it is yet to be confirmed whether the switch is temporary or permanent, the viral picture of him wearing Kohli's iconic jersey number left fans enraged, who not only attacked him, but also the BCCI, saying that the former India captain "deserves the same respect" as MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar. For the unversed, the Indian board had retired both their jerseys after their retirement. Mukesh failed to make the Indian Test team for the upcoming five-match series against England, but has definitely created an opportunity for a late entry in case of an injury after a promising show in the India A match thus far. The 31-year-old bowler, who has represented India in 26 matches across formats, including three appearances in Test cricket, picked up three wickets in the opening game against the Lions, as he ripped through the middle-order line-up, sparking a mini collapse on Day 3 of the game. He dismissed centurion Max Holden, before getting rid of captain James Rew and Rehan Ahmed in the same spell.
Hindustan Times
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Virat Kohli breaks Abhishek's confidence to bits and pieces with epic send-off, opener remains silent in exchange
Virat Kohli was at his aggressive best on Friday as RCB took on SRH in Lucknow, in their penultimate IPL 2025 league phase fixture. During the first innings, Abhishek Sharma lost his wicket in the fourth over to Lungi Ngidi after a short cameo, where he registered 34 off 17 balls, smacking three fours and three sixes. Ngidi sent a full delivery on middle and leg, Abhishek mistimed his flick to deep backward square leg, and Phil Salt completed a well-judged catch near the boundary to break the opening partnership. Reacting to the dismissal, Kohli had an epic send-off for the young batter, as he ran, screaming to the pitch and blurted something to Abhishek, who was walking back to the dugout. The SRH opener remained silent while Kohli said something to him, seemingly showing respect to a cricketer of the India great's status. Abhishek had taken an issue few days ago, when LSG's Digvesh Rathi came up with a send-off celebration. Kohli recently announced his Test retirement on May 12, and it came a shock to many, as he was expected to feature in India's upcoming five-match Test series in England, starting on June 20. Kohli's announcement followed the retirements of Rohit Sharma and R Ashwin, and India will have an inexperienced squad for the upcoming series. Reacting to the news, England Test skipper Ben Stokes said in a video, 'I texted him saying it's going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We've always relished the contest because we share the same mindset on the field – it's a battle.' 'What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He's made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He's been pure class for such a long time.' He added, 'One thing I'll always remember about Virat is how hard he hits the ball through the covers – that cover drive will live long in the memory.' RCB have qualified for the playoffs already, with Kohli as their top-scorer. He is sixth in the Orange Cap race with 548 runs in 12 matches, at a strike rate of 145.35. He has also registered seven half-centuries this season.
NDTV
22-05-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
England Skipper Ben Stokes Reveals Text Message He Sent To Virat Kohli After His Test Retirement
England Test captain Ben Stokes will miss batting maestro Virat Kohli's cover drive, a shot that will "live long in the memory" and highlight one aspect that India will miss about its stalwart in the upcoming five high-stakes Tests between the two sides, set to begin on June 20. More than a month before India's gruelling Test tour of England, Virat bid farewell to red-ball cricket with a heartfelt note on Instagram, days after his long-time compatriot Rohit retired from the format. The illustrious 14-year-long journey filled with tales of success, perseverance and heartbreak saw Virat reshape the way spectators perceived Test cricket. Virat transformed India into a result-producing machine during his memorable stint in the whites. He infused aggression and the culture of fitness into a team riddled with youth and experience. In a career that redefined the demands of the game, Virat scored 9,230 runs at an average of 46.85, with 30 centuries and 31 fifties, and finished as India's fourth-highest run-getter in the format. "He's been incredible. He deserves all the accolades. No doubt, there's been plenty of praise for him in India and here as well. He's done well in England, too," Stokes said in a video posted by the ECB. One aspect of Virat's game that impressed the English Test skipper the most was the amount of force he applied while striking the ball through the covers and added, "In white-ball formats especially, he's wow. One thing I'll always remember about Virat is how hard he hits the ball through the covers, that cover drive will live long in the memory." Virat's ruthless aggression and animated body language transformed India's mentality towards a game. With the 36-year-old out of the Test picture, Stokes reminisced about how much he loved playing against the Indian stalwart and a "shame" that he won't get the opportunity to do so this time. "I think what India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. Probably he's made No. 18 his own, we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He's been pure class for such a long time. I texted him saying it's going to be a shame not to play against him this time," he said. "I love playing against Virat. We've always loved playing against each other because we share the same mindset on the field - it's a battle," he added. Virat's retirement from red-ball cricket marked the continuation of the exodus trend from the Test format in the Indian setup. Before the Indian batting bigwigs, the illustrious frontline off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin called it a day on his international career midway through the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia. With India threadbare in terms of experience of defying the challenging English conditions, Stokes isn't willing to take the revamped Asian Giants lightly. "One thing about India is their battery of batsmen; it is just incredible. The time I've spent in the IPL, they've got batters coming out of there... can't say a word on this in this interview, but you know what I mean. You can never take any Indian team lightly, even if the fact that they are without two of their great batsmen," he said. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Indian Express
Ben Stokes reveals text sent to Virat Kohli after Test retirement: ‘Something I will always remember…'
England captain Ben Stokes has said that he told Virat Kohli how much the latter will be missed when India embark on a five-Test tour of the country in June. The Indian team that arrives on English shores will be a side in transition with stalwarts Kohli and captain Rohit Sharma both retiring from the longest format earlier this month. England have started their summer of cricket with a four-match Test against Zimbabwe at Trent Bridge, after which they host India for a long, five-Test series. 'I texted him saying it's going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We both have that same mindset on the field – it's a battle,' said Stokes in a video released by the England and Wales Cricket Board. 'What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He's made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He's been class for such a long time,' Stokes said. 'He has been incredible and no doubt there is a lot of praise coming for him from everywhere in India and from here. He has done really well against England. Stokes said that Kohli is 'up there' with the best players he has ever faced, particularly in limited overs cricket. Kohli had previously retired from T20Is after powering India to the 2024 T20 World Cup title. With the Test retirement now, Kohli is now only active in ODIs in international cricket. 'Definitely he is up there. White-ball formats especially, just… wow. Something I will always remember about Virat is just how hard he hits the ball through covers. The cover drive would be the one,' said Stokes. Kohli retired as India's fourth-highest run scorer in Test cricket, having scored 9230 runs at an average of 46.85 in 123 matches. He scored 30 centuries and 31 half-centuries. His annual average never dipped below 55 in the four years between 2016 and 2019. Additionally his calendar year average at the end of 2016 and 2017 were both above 75.
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Ben Stokes reveals he texted Virat Kohli after his Test retirement: 'Might never see no.18 on another Indian shirt'
England Test captain Ben Stokes has paid heartfelt tribute to Virat Kohli, speaking about the immense void India will face in the upcoming Test series without their former captain's fierce fighting spirit and intense competitiveness. Kohli's sudden decision to retire from Test cricket, announced on 12 May, came as a shock to many, especially with India preparing for a challenging five-match series in England starting 20 June. Stokes revealed that he personally texted Kohli after learning of his decision to step away from the format he cherished most. 'I texted him saying it's going to be a shame not playing against him this time. I love playing against Virat. We've always relished the contest because we share the same mindset on the field – it's a battle,' said Stokes in a video released by the England and Wales Cricket Board. Kohli's retirement follows the earlier exit of India's Test skipper Rohit Sharma, leaving the Indian side to rely on a relatively inexperienced squad for what promises to be a testing tour. The BCCI was reportedly aware of Kohli's plans weeks before the public announcement and had tried to persuade the star to reconsider. However, Kohli stood firm, describing his decision as 'not easy, but it feels right.' Stokes praised Kohli's contribution to cricket, emphasising the qualities that made him such a formidable opponent and an admired player worldwide. 'What India will miss is his fighting spirit on the field, his competitiveness, his desire to win. He's made No. 18 his own – we might never see it on the back of another Indian shirt. He's been pure class for such a long time,' Stokes said. Beyond the red-ball format, Stokes acknowledged Kohli's exceptional skills in limited-overs cricket, calling him 'a different beast' in white-ball formats. He singled out Kohli's elegant batting style, especially his memorable cover drive. 'One thing I'll always remember about Virat is how hard he hits the ball through the covers – that cover drive will live long in the memory,' the England captain added. Kohli and Stokes have clashed fiercely over the years across formats, with Kohli scoring nearly 2,000 Test runs against England at an average above 42. Despite a difficult 2014 tour, Kohli's resurgence in England during the 2018 and 2021 series showed his resilience and leadership, including memorable victories at Lord's and The Oval.
