India wicketkeeper Ishan Kishan has asked to be released from the upcoming two-match Test series in South Africa, citing unspecified personal reasons, officials confirmed on Sunday.
Kishan will be replaced in the squad by KS Bharat, who is likely to be back-up to first-choice KL Rahul.
The 25-year-old Kishan has played two Tests for India after making his debut against West Indies in July this year, and scored 210 in a one-day international against Bangladesh in December 2022.
South Africa and India will begin the Test series in Pretoria on Dec. 26, with the second game to be played in Cape Town from Jan. 3.
India are seeking a first test series win in South Africa.
India Test squad v South Africa:
Rohit Sharma (captain), Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer, Ruturaj Gaikwad, KL Rahul, Ravichandran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Shardul Thakur, Mohammed Siraj, Mukesh Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, KS Bharat.