IND vs SA: Ishan Kishan Pulls Out Of Test Series Against South Africa

Indian wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan has withdrawn his name from the squad for the Test series against South Africa. The two heavyweights will clash with each other in the two-match Test series, to be played from 26th December to 7th January across two different venues.

Ishan Kishan, who was one of the two keepers in the team, has pulled out citing personal reasons. The keeper-batter was part of the team for the T20I series and was expected to play a part in the longest format of the game. But now him not being there will be a blow for India.

In his place, BCCI has announced KS Bharat as the replacement. The right-hander is already in South Africa and took part in A game. Bharat has been around the Indian team for a while in Tests. He was dropped from the team after the World Test Championship Final.

BCCI released the official statement, saying: “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 The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.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.”

Ishan Kishan recently came into the Indian Test setup. He was part of the team for the ICC World Test Championship final but didn’t get the opportunity in the game against Australia. The management preferred KS Bharat in place of him but the right-hander couldn’t get going and failed miserably in both the innings.

Ishan Kishan then got his opportunity in the Test series against West Indies and he made sure that he cashed on it. He played blistering innings on that tour in the red-ball format and reminded fans of Rishabh Pant, who has been out of action since December last year due to a horrific accident he met with.

Ishan Kishan potentially was included in the team to play the aggressor role down the order what Rishabh Pant. He played that role to perfection in the West Indies. He so far has played 2 Tests and has scored 78 runs with the highest of 52.

With him not playing in the Test series against South Africa, it is now expected that KL Rahul be the first choice for the team in the two games as keeper.

It will be a great opportunity for KL Rahul to grab the opportunities with both hands. He has been tremendous with both bat and gloves in the ODIs and would be eager to assert his authority in Test cricket as well. It remains to be seen how will he go about his business.

IND vs SA: India revised squad for the Tests against South Africa after Ishan Kishan opts out

The first Test match between India and South Africa will be played on 26th December. After that, the second game will be played on 3rd January. The Rohit Sharma-led side have already been jolted with a few blows. Apart from Ishan Kishan pulling out, Mohammed Shami recently was ruled out of the series due to the ankle issues he faced after the World Cup 2023.

Here’s India’s revised squad for the Tests against South Africa:

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)