Ishan Kishan requested for a break due to mental fatigue: Reports 

Team India’s young wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan has opted out of the upcoming Test series against South Africa due to mental fatigue, according to reports. The 25-year-old has been traveling with the Indian team constantly over the last year but has not been a regular in any of the formats.

Kishan was picked in the Indian squad for the two-match Test series against South Africa, which begins with the Boxing Day Test at SuperSport Park in Centurion on December 26. However, on December 17, the BCCI issued a press release stating that the cricketer had been withdrawn from the Test squad after he requested to be released citing personal reasons.

As per a report in the Indian Express, the keeper-batter requested the Indian team management last week in South Africa to give him a break as he had been traveling non-stop for the last year. Subsequently, the team management had a chat with 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 told the paper.

KS Bharat has been named as Kishan's replacement in the Test squad.

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Ishan Kishan’s performance in 2023

Since the start of 2023, Kishan has featured in two Tests, 17 ODIs and 11 T20Is. However, he has been part of almost every series that India has played since the start of the year.

The left-handed batter was handed his Test debut during the tour of West Indies in July. He impressed with the bat, scoring an unbeaten 52 in Port of Spain. Kishan also did well with the gloves in hand.

The batter has scored 456 runs in 17 ODI matches in 2023 at an average of 35.07 with a best of 82. He has four half-centuries to his credit in the format this year. With Gill down with dengue, Kishan played Team India’s first two games in the ODI World Cup. He scored 0 against Australia and 47 against Afghanistan.

Speaking of his T20I record in 2023, he has scored 207 runs at an average of 18.81. He featured in the first three matches of the T20I series against Australia at home, scoring 58 and 52 in the first two games before being dismissed for a duck in the third match.

Kishan was part of the T20I squad in South Africa, but Jitesh Sharma was preferred as the keeper-batter ahead of him.