Rishabh Pant returned to competitive cricket after a 3-month injury layoff, leading India A against South Africa A. His comeback in Virat Kohli’s No.18 jersey sparked mixed reactions, with fans urging BCCI to retire it in honour of Kohli’s legacy.
Team India Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant made his return to competitive cricket in the ongoing first unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A at the BCCI Centre of Excellence (CoE) Ground in Bengaluru on Thursday, October 30.
Rishabh Pant was out of action for three months after sustaining a fractured foot during the Old Trafford Test against England in Manchester in July. Due to injury, the 28-year-old was ruled out of the Oval Decider, the Asia Cup 2025, the West Indies Test series, and the ongoing white-ball tour of Australia. The wicketkeeper-batter underwent recovery and rehabilitation and received fitness clearance from the BCCI medical team before his return to competitive cricket.
Rishabh was appointed as the India A captain, with Sai Sudharsan as the vice-captain. Rishabh Pant’s return to competitive cricket is a major boost for Team India ahead of the home Test series against South Africa, starting on November 14 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
Pant Returns by Donning No.18 Jersey
Rishabh Pant’s return to competitive cricket after recovering from a fractured foot became a talking point amid the ongoing first unofficial Test between India A and South Africa A. However, what caught the attention was Pant stepping onto the field to keep the wickets by wearing Virat Kohli’s No.18 jersey, the number long associated with the Indian batting great.
Virat Kohli retired from his illustrious Test career ahead of the England tour in May this year, concluding his 14-year journey and 123-match career, during which he amassed over 9230 runs with 30 centuries and 31 fifties, cementing his legacy as India’s greatest red-ball batters. However, the BCCI has not yet retired Kohli’s iconic No.18 jersey, which remains available for selection within the national setup and its affiliated squads.
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After Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni retired from international cricket, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided to retire their iconic jerseys ‘No.10’ and ‘No.7’, respectively, as a mark of respect for their immense contribution to Indian cricket and the legacy they left behind. When Shardul Thakur donned Tendulkar’s No.10 jersey during his early international appearances in 2017, it sparked outrage among fans, prompting the BCCI to formally retire the jersey to preserve the legendary batter’s legacy.
Apart from Rishabh Pant, Vaibhav Suryavanshi also donned the No. 18 jersey during his U-19 debut, where he smashed 48 runs off just 19 balls against England U19 while wearing that number.
How Fans Reacted to Pant Wearing Kohli’s ‘No.18’ Jersey
Rishabh Pant, wearing Virat Kohli’s iconic jersey, did not go unnoticed as fans flooded social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with mixed reactions, as some fans urged the BCCI to retire the legendary batter’s jersey to honour Kohli’s contribution to Indian cricket, while others saw it as Rishabh’s tribute to Kohli after his Test retirement.
Taking to their X handle (formerly Twitter), Virat Kohli fans accused Rishabh Pant of making a ‘mockery’ of the No.18 jersey, while others were baffled over how the same jersey number was allotted to another player soon after he retired from Test cricket.
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In his illustrious 17-year international career, Virat Kohli has worn the No.18 jersey across all formats since his debut in 2008, making it one of the most recognizable numbers in world cricket and a symbol of his passion, consistency, and unmatched legacy.
Meanwhile, Kohli has not fully retired from cricket, as he continues to play in ODIs and was recently part of the Australia ODI series, where he scored 74 off 81 balls in the third match, helping India earn a consolation win after the series defeat.