Rishabh Pant apologies to fans after South Africa loss

Dubai: India’s stand-in captain Rishabh Pant issued an apology after the team slumped to its biggest-ever defeat in the second Test, a loss that handed South Africa a 2-0 series win. The Proteas had not won a Test series in India for 25 years.

Although Shubman Gill is the official Test captain, the series effectively slipped away under Pant’s leadership. Pant stepped in after Gill was injured in Kolkata and officially captained the side in the second Test in Guwahati.

After a disappointing series with both the bat and the captaincy — where he scored 27, 2, 7 and 13 — Pant shared a heartfelt apology on social media. “There is no shying away from the fact that we didn’t play good enough cricket over the last two weeks,” he wrote. “We always aim to perform at the highest level and bring smiles to billions of Indians. Sorry we couldn’t meet expectations this time. But sport teaches you to learn, adapt and grow.”

He added that representing India is the “greatest honour” and vowed that the team would “work hard, regroup, refocus and reset” to come back stronger.

Pant faced particular criticism for his first-innings dismissal in Guwahati, where he attempted an ill-judged slog with India four wickets down and more than 400 runs behind.

A few hours after the defeat, injured skipper Gill also shared an inspirational message on X, writing: “Calm seas don’t teach you how to steer, it’s the storm that forges steady hands. We’ll continue to believe in each other, fight for each other, and move forward — rising stronger.”

India and South Africa will now meet in a three-match ODI series starting November 30. Pant is in the squad, while Gill will miss the series due to injury.