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Rishabh Pant as red-ball captain sounds unfamiliar, but he is no stranger to the role

Kaushik Kashyap

Rishabh Pant to lead India A vs South Africa A. [Source - AFP Photos]Rishabh Pant to lead India A vs South Africa A. [Source - AFP Photos]

After a toe injury sustained during the fourth Test at Old Trafford, Manchester earlier this year, Rishabh Pant is all set to make a comeback. Missing out on the recent West Indies series due to this setback, Pant will now don the captain’s hat for India A in the two-match red-ball series against South Africa A starting October 30 at the Centre of Excellence.

Rishabh Pant’s past red-ball captaincy record in First-Class cricket

This India A’s leadership opportunity marks a significant return on the field and responsibility for Pant, who has been an integral part of India’s Test setup and vice-captain in recent times. Pant’s red-ball captaincy experience is rooted in his early days before his rise to international stardom.

His last stint leading a first-class side came way back during the 2017-18 Ranji Trophy season when he captained Delhi. This came about when Delhi’s regular captain for the season, Ishant Sharma, was unavailable. Over that season, Pant led Delhi in five first-class matches, a period that saw the team reach the final, eventually finishing as runners-up after losing to Vidarbha.

During this campaign, Pant captained a Delhi side featuring notable players such as Gautam Gambhir (now the team India’s coach), Unmukt Chand, and Nitish Rana. Under his leadership, Delhi won two matches, drew two, and lost the crucial final. As a batsman during these games, Pant accumulated 160 runs at an average of 26.66, impressive considering it was all before his Test debut.

Since then, Pant has not captained any red-ball matches, focusing primarily on his batting and wicketkeeping duties in international cricket. However, his experience as vice-captain in the Test setup and leadership qualities in white-ball cricket demonstrated in recent times suggest he is well-equipped to lead in the longer format once again.

Pant’s brief one-day captaincy for India A

In addition to his first-class captaincy for his state side, Pant also has experience leading India A, but in limited-overs cricket. Back in 2017, during New Zealand A’s tour of India, Pant captained India A in two one-day matches. Although his batting was disappointing, managing just three runs across those two games, his leadership proved effective, as India A won both matches under his captaincy.

This mixed record highlights Pant’s leadership potential from very early stage of his career despite occasional struggles with the bat, reinforcing that his strength lies not only in his individual performances but also in guiding the team strategically from behind the wicket.

As Pant gears up to lead India A in this important two-match red-ball series against South Africa A, fans and selectors together will be watching closely to see if he can reignite his leadership journey and gain some momentum before his comeback on the international stage in the Test series later in November.