Constant travel, ‘mental fatigue’ prompted Ishan Kishan to opt out of Test series vs South Africa | Cricket News

He has been constantly travelling with the Indian team, but gets a game only when one or more of the regulars are unavailable. This toil and uncertainty has brought ‘mental fatigue’, which prompted wicketkeeper-batsman Ishan Kishan to opt out of the Test series against South Africa starting on Tuesday.
The Indian Express understands that Kishan requested the Indian team management last week in South Africa to let him take a break as he had been travelling non-stop for the past one year. The team management spoke to the selectors who agreed to Kishan’s request.
“He informed the team management that he is having mental fatigue and wants a break from cricket for some time. Everyone agreed to it,” a source confirmed to this paper.

🚨 UPDATE 🚨: Ishan Kishan withdrawn from #TeamIndia’s Test squad. KS Bharat named as replacement. #SAvIND
Details 🔽https://t.co/KqldTEeD0T
— BCCI (@BCCI) December 17, 2023
The Indian board had earlier issued a press release where it cited ‘personal reasons’ for Kishan opting out of the upcoming Test series.
“Ishan Kishan has requested the BCCI to 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 The wicketkeeper has subsequently been withdrawn from the Test squad.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,” BCCI secretary Jay Shah had stated in its press release.

Kishan had been part of every Indian squad since January 3, 2023. He had been on the road and had hardly got any break, without necessarily getting game time. He played India’s first two games of the 50-over World Cup, batting at the top of the order, before Shubman Gill returned from a bout of dengue and KL Rahul kept wickets. He then played the first three games of the T20I series against Australia, hitting two half-centuries.
In South Africa, he was part of the T20I series but the team management preferred Jitesh Sharma over him. Kishan was part of the intra-day squad and the Test squad but decided to take a break.
The Indian board has had a tight cricketing calendar. It started with the Sri Lanka series (January 3-15) with three T20Is and as many ODIs at home followed New Zealand playing three T20Is and ODIs each.
Kishan was part of the Indian squad that played Australia at home from February 9 to March 22. He warmed the bench in all four Tests as the team management chose KS Bharat, and of the three ODIs he played only one.
He played the entire IPL season for Mumbai Indians. The selection committee flew him to England for the World Test Championship final as the second wicketkeeper, followed the West Indies tour from July 12 to August 13. He played his first two Tests on that tour, along with three ODIs and three T20Is.
A week later, he was sent to the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka (September 22-27), followed a three-ODI series at home against Australia, just before the World Cup.