Last Updated: October 30, 2025 12:14 PM
Rishabh Pant wears Virat Kohli’s iconic No. 18 jersey in an India A match, sparking buzz. Fans react as jersey number debate heats up.
India’s dashing wicketkeeper-batsman Rishabh Pant has made a spectacular comeback to cricket.
After a three-month injury layoff, he captained India A against South Africa A at the Centre of Excellence ground in Bengaluru.
But this time, everyone’s attention was more on his jersey than his game.
Pant wore Virat Kohli’s iconic No. 18 jersey, which caused a stir on social media.
Rishabh Pant’s No. 18 jersey creates a stir
Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket in May this year. Following this, fans demanded that the BCCI retire his No. 18 jersey, as was done for Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni.
But the BCCI has not yet made a decision, and the No. 18 jersey remains open for use.
Some fans were delighted to see Pant in this jersey, while others called it disrespectful to Kohli.
On social media, fans wrote, “Does this mean Pant has switched his jersey number from 17 to 18?”
Many attributed this to Pant’s respect for Kohli, while others questioned the BCCI as to why the jersey hasn’t been retired.
Has this happened before?
Pant isn’t the first player to wear the number 18 jersey after Kohli’s retirement. In June of this year, fast bowler Mukesh Kumar wore the same jersey for India A in an unofficial Test against the England Lions.
At that time, social media was abuzz. Many fans trolled Mukesh and called it “disrespectful” to Kohli.
However, a senior BCCI official clarified at the time.
He said, “Mukesh wore No. 18 during the opening ‘Test’ match versus Lions. But when it comes to the India A squad, there are no fixed numbers as jerseys don’t have names.
Anyone can pick any random number. The jersey numbers are only sacrosanct for international games.”
Pant’s return and his No. 18 jersey have once again reignited this debate.
Pant’s performance and his jersey in India A’s series against South Africa A are now a topic of discussion.
Will the BCCI retire Kohli’s jersey or will this debate continue?
