Indian young keeper-batter Ishan Kishan will sit out the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, starting on 26th December at the Supersport Park in Centurion due to personal reasons. KS Bharat has been recalled to the Test squad, having already played 5 Tests after making his debut earlier this year.
The BCCI announced the same on Sunday (December 16th) with the statement as below:
"Mr Ishan Kishan has requested the BCCI to be released from the upcoming Test series against South Africa citing personal reasons. The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad. The Men’s Selection Committee has named Mr KS Bharat as a replacement."
Kishan made his Test debut during the West Indies tour in July and has done decently in the 2 Tests he played. The left-hander's glovework was decent and has managed 78 runs with a highest of 52*.
KS Bharat's struggles with the bat in Test cricket:
Bharat, who played the four-Test series against Australia at home earlier this year, has failed to make the required impact with the bat. In 5 Tests, the 30-year-old has managed only 129 runs with a best of 44. Bharat also featured in the World Test Championship (WTC) final, but could not make a difference with the bat.
With Rishabh Pant likely to return to the Test side after IPL 2024, the Andhra Pradesh keeper-batter will want to make an impact against the Proteas.
Squad: Rohit Sharma (C), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul (wk), Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohd. Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah (VC), Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat (wk).
