Congress spokesperson Shama Mohammad has questioned Indian cricket head coach Gautam Gambhir over Sarfaraz Khan not being selected in the India A team against South Africa A despite his excellent form in domestic cricket.
Indian middle-order batsman Sarfaraz Khan was left out of the India A squad for the two unofficial four-day matches against South Africa A. The selection committee’s decision to drop Sarfaraz Khan could not be supported this time due to injury concerns, and hence, this has reignited the debate on biased behavior in the Indian team.
Furthermore, the Mumbai batsman has been in great form for Mumbai in the domestic competitions and he averages over 65 in first-class cricket. He started the domestic season with a brilliant century in the Buchi Babu Invitational Tournament and had started auditioning for a Test comeback.
Amid Sarfaraz Khan’s non-election, Gautam Gambhir has been accused of ‘religious intolerance’.
Following the third consecutive defeat following the England and West Indies series, Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohammed accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious bias and questioned the non-selection of Sarfaraz Khan.
He took aim at X and questioned whether Sarfaraz was not selected because of his surname. Referring to Gambhir’s tenure in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mohammed said on Twitter, “Isn’t Sarfaraz Khan chosen because of his surname! #Justasking. We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on this matter.”
Was Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname? #just asking We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on this matter
– Dr. Shama Mohammed (@drshamamohd) 22 October 2025
This is not the first time that his name has come up amid controversies related to the game of cricket. Earlier, he had faced heavy criticism for calling Rohit Sharma “fat for a player” and the “most ineffective” captain in India’s history, which really made no sense as the captain had led India to two ICC titles.
ALL President Asaduddin Owaisi after tweet India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) had also questioned Sarfaraz Khan’s omission and urged him to explain the reason for his exclusion from the India A team for the series against South Africa A.
Speaking to India Today on Wednesday, AIMIM spokesperson Waris Pathan said, “When a man is doing so average, there is definitely more to it. Why was he not selected?”
Sarfaraz Khan’s domestic performance has been excellent; Furthermore, his international debut was also not impressive. In 6 matches, the 28-year-old middle-order batsman scored 371 runs at an average of around 40 and also scored a century with a highest score of 150.
Former UP minister asks critics not to politicize cricket
After some politicians lambasted the Indian selection panel as well as head coach Gautam Gambhir for not selecting a particular cricketer, a former Minority Welfare Minister of the UP cabinet has slammed such critics and urged them not to politicize selection in the game of cricket.
Mohsin Raza, a former minister in Yogi Adityanath’s UP government, told India Today:There is no need to politicize it. These so called Muslim leaders are playing with the future of cricketers. Shami plays, Siraj plays. This is inappropriate.”
Also Read: Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma criticized in the press for being Gautam Gambhir’s right hand man in Team India
