Returning Rishabh Pant inherits Virat Kohli's 'No.18' in warm-up contest against South Africa A
&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Returning Rishabh Pant inherits Virat Kohli's 'No.18' in warm-up contest against South Africa A")
Returning Rishabh Pant inherits Virat Kohli's 'No.18' in warm-up contest against South Africa A Photograph: (AFP)
Playing at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence against South Africa A, Pant was seen wearing the iconic No.18 jersey, a number once donned by Virat Kohli.
India’s star wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant made his return to competitive action on Thursday (Oct 30) as he participated in a warm-up contest against South Africa in Bengaluru. Pant, injured in the Manchester Test against England in July, had been out of action but returned to lead the India A side on Thursday. However, it was his jersey number that caught everyone’s eyes as he donned ‘No.18’, which was used by Virat Kohli in his playing days.
Pant dons Virat’s No.18
Playing at the Bengaluru Centre of Excellence against South Africa A, Pant made the gesture as he overtook Virat’s No.18. It was until January of this year that the former India captain was wearing the iconic number. He announced his retirement from the Test format in May, bringing curtains on a highly successful career.
Since then, the jersey has been vacant, meaning no player donned the kit in the series against England. However, if the current trend is to be followed, Virat’s No.18 could soon be overtaken by Pant, who is likely to be passed fit for the Test series against South Africa, starting next month.
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Pant’s return will be a huge boost for the Indian side, having missed the West Indies series. Dhruv Jurel kept wickets for the national side in his absence and made healthy contributions. Pant’s inclusion will mean Jurel will drop to the bench and Narayan Jagadeesan will drop out altogether from the squad.
Having won against the West Indies, the Indian team will be eyeing another series win against South Africa. Currently, the Indian side sits third in the standings with a win percentage of 61.90. Pant’s return will be a huge boost as India look to add to their four wins in the WTC cycle, where Shubman Gill and Co. also have two defeats and a draw.
