Former national selection committee chairman MSK Prasad hit back at Congress leader Shama Mohammed for accusing him of ousting Sarfaraz Khan because of his surname. Prasad, who was India’s chief national selector from 2016 to 2020, said players are never selected on the basis of their name, surname or religion.
The politician sparked controversy by questioning Sarfaraz’s exclusion from the India A team for the series against South Africa A in Bengaluru. He accused the Ajit Agarkar-led selection panel and head coach Gautam Gambhir of allegedly ignoring the middle-order batsman because of his surname.
Sarfaraz Khan has performed very well – MSK Prasad
Speaking to IANS, MSK Prasad rejected claims of bias in the selection of players and said the decisions are never influenced by religion or community. He said that Sarfaraz Khan has consistently performed well in domestic cricket and suggested that there could be other reasons for his non-selection.
“That will never happen. When the kid is selected, forget Sarfaraz – normally, when a player is selected, you don’t talk about communities, regionalism or other things. But why do all these things come up only when someone is dropped?” Prasad said.
“We all know that Sarfaraz Khan has done exceptionally well; he has done well in domestic cricket and all. There may be some reasons that the selectors will come out and tell. I don’t think Sarfaraz will be dropped in the India A match.”
Selectors should come forward and say – MSK Prasad on Sarfaraz Khan’s neglect
MSK Prasad emphasized that only the performance of the player is taken into consideration. He also said that if there are questions about a player’s exclusion, the selectors should give a clear explanation.
Prasad said, “There should be a solid reason; it could be any reason, but the selectors should come out and say it. But on regionalism and communalism being the reason behind dropping a player, my opinion is absolutely… ah! I don’t think I have ever seen such a thing, because while making selections we never take into account the community or any particular religion. The only thing that is considered is the performance of the player. And if anyone is thinking that way, they are wrong.” and indian cricket Don’t understand it at all,” Prasad said.
According to reports, Sarfaraz’s exit was related to team balance. Ajit Agarkar had earlier reported that Khan had missed the home series against West Indies due to a quadriceps injury and he needed time to regain match fitness before being reconsidered for selection.
Sarfaraz Khan scored 42 and 32 for Mumbai in Ranji Trophy opener
Sarfaraz Khan recently returned to competitive cricket after recovering from a quadriceps injury. He represented Mumbai in the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy opener against Jammu and Kashmir, and scored 42 and 32 in the two innings.
The right-handed batsman made his Test debut in the home series against England last year. He retained his place for the home series against New Zealand, where he recorded his maiden Test century.
However, after scoring just 21 runs in four innings, he did not get a chance in the XI for the 2024–25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. His name was also not considered for the England tour and West Indies series, while players like Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal and Karun Nair were ahead of him in the pecking order.
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