Trademark wit, Virat Kohlis No.18 jersey: Rishabh Pant steals limelight in comeback match
Indian wicket-keeper batter Rishabh Pant returned to competitive cricket on Thursday following a three-month injury-enforced break.
New Delhi: Rishabh Pant marked his return to competitive cricket by hogging all the limelight in the India A's home series against South Africa A at Bengaluru's Centre of Excellence ground. The Indian wicket-keeper batter made a much-anticipated return to action on Thursday following a three-month injury lay-off.
Pant suffered a toe injury in the fourth England-India Test in late July, and after a steady period of rehab and recovery, he has finally regained full fitness. The injury setback forced him to miss the Asia Cup 2025 and the home Test series against the West Indies.
After missing two major national assignments, Pant has stepped onto the field in red-ball cricket. India A and South A are facing off in a two-match series, which will be followed by the two-Test affair between the senior teams in India next month. Leading the India A side, Pant created a lot of social media buzz in the first few hours on the field itself.
Pant wears Virat Kohli’s iconic No. 18 jersey
While entering the field with his India A teammates, Pant was spotted wearing Virat Kohli’s iconic No. 18 jersey. As soon as the fans noticed the jersey number, reactions and comments poured in on social media platforms.
Superstar cricket Kohli hung up his Test boots in May this year, and following the big announcement, fans pleaded with the BCCI to retire his jersey number just like MS Dhoni and Sachin Tendulkar after their retirements. However, BCCI has yet to retire Kohli’s No. 18 jersey, which remains available.
It will be interesting to see whether Pant has switched his jersey number from 17 to 18 or if this is a one-off act.
When the action began, Pant's trademark wit was on full display. Known for his funny comments from behind the stumps, Pant
Rishabh Pant’s trademark wit has returned to the cricket field. During the first unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A, Pant was caught on the stump mic, advising off-spinner Tanush Kotian and Manav Suthar.
Speaking to Kotian, Pant said: "Jyada fielder nahi hai off-side mei. Daalte rah apna koi nahi. Thodi der dande pe daal koi problem nahi hai. Maarne do. Theek ha theek hai tang mat ho, relax hoke daal. Shabash. Rhythm pakadne ko dekho, aa jayega ek do over mein.. pareshan mat ho". (There aren't many fielders on the offside. You keep bowling on the same length. Bowl wicket-to-wicket, let him hit. Don't get agitated, just relax and try and find your rhythm, you will get the wicket soon.
Pant looked agile behind the stumps, showing good signs of progress ahead of the South Africa Tests. Meanwhile, South Africa A made a solid start despite losing opening batter Lesego Senokwane early. The visiting batter was dismissed by Anshul Kamboj for a duck. However, Jordan Hermann and Zubayr Hamza both scored half-centuries to put the Proteas in control.