New Delhi: Wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan has been ruled out of the upcoming 2-Test series against South Africa, scheduled to begin on December 26. The Mumbai Indians star was released from the squad after he requested the Indian cricket board (BCCI) to withdraw him from the squad. India has named KS Bharat as his replacement in the squad, led by Rohit Sharma.

"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 The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad," the BCCI said in a release on Sunday, December 17. Ishan Kishan was part of the T20I squad for the recently-concluded 3-match series in South Africa. However, the wicketkeeper-batsman did not get a game as Jitesh Sharma kept wickets in the 2 matches after the first T20I was washed out due to rain in Durban.

The BCCI did not mention the specifics of Ishan Kishan's request even as the wicketkeeper's absence will be a significant miss for India in South Africa. Notably, on Saturday, Deepak Chahar was ruled out of the ODI series after he requested leave to be with his ailing father back in India. And pacer Mohammed Shami was ruled out of the Test series due to injury concerns. India is likely to go ahead and get KL Rahul to keep wickets as the wicketkeeper returns to the Test set-up for the first time since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Ishan Kishan played all 5 T20Is in a series against Australia at home after having been part of the ODI World Cup squad. The young wicketkeeper-batsman hit two fifties in the series. KS Bharat led India in the recently-concluded unofficial Test match against South Africa in Potchefstroom. The Andhra wicketkeeper managed only 6 runs. KS Bharat was also named in the squad for an intra-squad 3-day match before the Test series from December 20 to 22. He was also in the squad for the 2nd unofficial Test against South Africa from December 26, but Bharat is set to miss that fixture as he will link up with the Test squad.

KS Bharat, who made his Test debut in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy at home in 2023, played 5 Tests, including the World Test Championship final. However, he was dropped for the tour of the West Indies where Ishan Kishan kept wickets.

SA v IND, Test Squad:
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).

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