India and South Africa are set to face each other in a two-match Test series scheduled to take place from December 26th to January 7th at two different venues. SuperSport Park in Centurion will host the opening Test ( starting on December 26–30), and the second will be held in Newlands (scheduled for January 3–7, 2024). Ahead of the series, Indian wicketkeeper-batter, Ishan Kishan has withdrawn from the squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa due to personal reasons.
Ishan Kishan Opts Out Of IND vs SA Test Series
In his absence, KS Bharat, currently leading India ‘A’ in South Africa, has been named as his replacement. This news follows the recent announcement that fast bowler Mohammed Shami will also miss the series due to an ankle injury.
“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 The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.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 KS Bharat as a replacement,” BCCI revealed in a statement.
It has to be noted that following Rishabh Pant’s absence due to a tragic car accident in December 2022, KS Bharat became the preferred wicketkeeper. Bharat had an opportunity to showcase his skills in five consecutive Test matches, including the World Test Championship final in June. However, as Bharat struggled to score a fifty in those matches, the selectors opted for Ishan Kishan. Kishan made his debut in the two-match series against West Indies, contributing an unbeaten 52 in the second Test as India secured a 2-0 clean sweep.
Updated Indian Squad For Test Series Against SA:
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).
