Ishan Kishan to miss Test series vs South Africa, KS Bharat announced as replacement

In a major development for the Indian team ahead of their two-match Test series against South Africa, it was announced that star wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan will be missing out on the two Test matches as he pulled out citing personal reasons. The BCCI further informed that KS Bharat will be the replacement of Ishan Kishan in the series.

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 The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.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

It is worth noting that Bharat has played five Tests for India so far. He has amassed 129 runs to his name, maintaining an average of 18.42 runs. Bharat is not the first-choice wicketkeeper, as there have been reports of opting for KL Rahul to fulfill the role behind the stumps.

However, Bharat could be a viable option as well. Despite him not being able to find his form with the bat, another chance with the Indian team could be just what the 30-year-old needs to make his mark.

First Test between South Africa and India will commence on December 26

The first Test of the series will be held at the SuperSport Park Cricket Stadium in Centurion from December 26. It could be interesting to see how team India fares in the tough South African conditions. The ‘Men in Blue’ does not have a good record when playing in South Africa. But, they will hope that the same could change in the two-game series.

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)