India A National Cricket Team vs South Africa A National Cricket Team Match: Rishabh Pant made a striking return to competitive cricket on Thursday as he led India A against South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence. What caught attention was the number on his back — Pant walked out for the toss wearing Virat Kohli’s famous No. 18 jersey. Pant has always worn No. 17, while Kohli’s No. 18 has been one of the most recognised numbers in Indian cricket. Kohli, who retired from Tests and T20Is earlier this year, wore the number throughout his international career. Since his retirement, fans have urged the BCCI to retire the number in his honour, similar to how the board retired MS Dhoni’s No. 7 and Sachin Tendulkar’s No. 10. However, the BCCI has not made any official decision on Kohli’s number, which remains available for use.
Pant is not the first player to wear the number since Kohli’s retirement. Earlier this year, fast bowler Mukesh Kumar also wore No. 18 for India A during a match against the England Lions. The move sparked online criticism, with some fans calling it disrespectful to Kohli.
This game marks Pant’s first competitive outing in three months. The 28-year-old suffered a foot injury during India’s tour of England in July. His return is seen as a key step towards making the national squad for the upcoming Test series against South Africa.
Teammate Sai Sudharsan said Pant’s fitness and energy have impressed everyone in the camp. “Rishabh looks fantastic-actually, maybe fitter, I would say. He had some time to build, put that training into his legs, because sometimes when you get injured, you have that specific time to work on whatever you want. I feel he looks a bit more fit and strong, and as courageous as he always is,” Sudharsan said, as quoted by PTI.
He added that Pant has been motivating the team ahead of the South Africa A series. “The message from Pant is very clear. We were in a huddle on the first day of training, and he was saying that this is a great opportunity for everybody to get back into the rhythm of the game. At the same time, we are also playing to win, and that is the main thing,” Sudharsan said.
Pant won the toss and chose to field first. At lunch, South Africa A stood at 108 for 1. Zubayr Hamza was unbeaten on 56 and Jordan Hermann was batting on 42 after adding 102 runs for the second wicket. Anshul Kamboj claimed the only wicket for India A.
