IND vs SA: Ishan Kishan Withdraws Name From Test Series, BCCI Names Replacement

The BCCI has announced that wicketkeeper batter Ishan Kishan has requested the cricket board to release him from the Test squad for the upcoming two-match Test series against South Africa. The wicket-keeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.

The young star cited personal reasons to skip the series which is going to be part of the World Test Championship.

The All India Selection Committee has named KS Bharat as his replacement for the crucial series.

Ishan made his Test debut this year on the West Indies tour, where he played two Test matches and scored a half-century in the second. The southpaw didn’t get a chance to play in the T20I series, while he was not picked for the ODI squad.

On Saturday, the BCCI announced that Mohammed Shami won’t be available for selection in the Test series on the Proteas soil.

Shami, who has been recuperating from an ankle niggle post his wonder run in the recent ODI World Cup, was earlier included in India’s Test squad but his availability was subject to him getting clearance from the board’s medical team.

The BCCI did not name any replacement for Shami. The first Test between India and South Africa will start in Centurion from December 26.

Before the opening Test, the Indian Test team members will play a three-day intra-squad match from December 20.

As of now, Shami is likely to continue his recovery at home and he could make a return during the Test series at home against England starting from January 25 in Hyderabad.

The second Test against the Proteas will start at Cape Town from January 3, 2024.

The board also stated earlier that, head coach Rahul Dravid and other regular support staff will not oversee the ongoing three-match ODI series as they will be monitoring the inter-squad game in preparation ahead of the Test series, underlining the significance the management is giving to a Test series win in the Rainbow nation.

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)