EXPLAINED: Why Ishan Kishan Has Withdrawn From Test Series Vs South Africa

India star's wicket-keeper batter Ishan Kishan has withdrawn his name from the Test squad for the series against South Africa. BCCI has announced that Kishan has requested to release him from the upcoming 2-match series against the Proteas. Selectors have picked KS Bharat in place of the young wicket-keeper batter for the series away from home.

BCCI have announced that Kishan has requested to miss the series due to personal reasons. (Hardik Pandya As A Captain Is Not A Finished Product Yet: Aakash Chopra Ahead Of IPL 2024)

"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 The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad," read the official website of BCCI.

 UPDATE : Ishan Kishan withdrawn from #TeamIndia’s Test squad. KS Bharat named as replacement. #SAvIND

Details https://t.co/KqldTEeD0T  BCCI (@BCCI) December 17, 2023

Kishan is yet to play a match for India in any format since the 2023 ODI World Cup. KL Rahul was the man behind the wickets in World Cup and it could be the same thing in the Test series against South Africa that India opts to go with him as wicket-keeper in place of Bharat as first-choice.

Good news for the selectors is that Rishabh Pant is also making a comeback in the IPL as per reports which gives them an extra option to choose from and surely a quality option as well. Although, Rahul has been exceptional behind the wickets in ODIs and T20Is, Pant still remains a good option if he makes a comeback soon.

Talking about Kishan's replacement, KS Bharat last played in June this year in a Test series against Australia in which he failed to impress. Bharat made his Test debut in February but was not part of Team India's plans for the series against South Africa.

India’s squad for Tests: 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).