Fans went furious after Mukesh Kumar was spotted bowling at Canterbury, wearing jersey number 18, which happened to be Virat Kohli's number before he retired from Test cricket. However, it is legally possible for anyone to take up the number after the player retires. What Mukesh did was legally correct but morally questionable to the fans. Fans went furious after Mukesh Kumar, the Indian pacer, donned the number while representing India A against England Lions at the St. Lawrence Ground in Canterbury. However, Mukesh used to have 49 on his tee and has now altered it to 18. Fans dragged in Virat Kohli's retirement, recalled BCCI's treatment towards him, and now are letting Mukesh wear his jersey. Well done @BCCI thanks for sacking Kohli in Test and giving jersey number 18 for Mukesh Kumar. He deserves this." Warraa farewell for chokli" #ViratKohli𓃵 pic.twitter.com/AQBCndmHUF — Sophia Vijay (@sansofibm) June 1, 2025 However, this is not the first time an Indian cricketer has been trolled for wearing a previously used jersey number. The most recent example was Shardul Thakur, who wore number 10 on his ODI debut match in 2012. Jersey 10 was popular for Sachin Tendulkar and was thus trolled heavily. However, Shardul explained that it had nothing to do with Tendul. But it was just the sum of his date of birth. Read also: Watch: Ashutosh Sharma Smashes Ton on UK Club Debut Later, Tendulkar's jersey was retired. Even after MS Dhoni's retirement, players were requested not to use his jersey number. However, both jersey numbers were retired and fans are demanding the same for Kohli. Mukesh Kumar wore No.18 in the England Lions vs India A match. That number is iconic—it belongs to Virat Kohli. If No.10 (Tendulkar) and No.7 (Dhoni) are retired, No.18 deserves the same respect. — Sports syncs (@moiz_sports) June 1, 2025 Mukesh may not have found a spot in India’s Test squad for the upcoming five-match series against England, but his strong performance in the India A fixture has certainly kept him in contention as a potential injury replacement. The 31-year-old pacer, who has featured in 26 international games, including three Tests, made a notable impact in the opening unofficial Test against the England Lions. He claimed three crucial wickets on Day 3, triggering a middle-order collapse by removing centurion Max Holden, followed by the dismissals of skipper James Rew and Rehan Ahmed in the same spell.