KS Bharat is named as Ishan Kishan replacement after Ishan withdraws from the South Africa Test series.
The wicketkeeper-batter of Indian cricket team Ishan Kishan has pulled out of the squad for the impending two-match Test series against South Africa as he has flown back home due to personal reasons. BCCI has named KS Bharat, who is currently in South Africa as India's 'A' skipper, as his replacement. The development comes just two days after fast bowler Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the contest owing to his ankle injury.
The BCCI said in a statement that "Ishan Kishan has requested the BCCI be released from the upcoming Test series against South Africa, citing personal reasons. The wicketkeeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad. The men's selection committee has named KS Bharat as a replacement.”
After Rishabh Pant was sidelined following the tragic car accident in December 2022, Bharat emerged as the first-choice wicketkeeper. And he was given a stretch of five straight Test matches, including the World Test Championship final earlier in June, but with Bharat failing to score a single fifty, the selectors moved on to Kishan. The 25-year-old made his debut in the two-match series in the West Indies, where he even scored an unbeaten 52 in the second Test as India scripted a 2-0 clean sweep.