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‘Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of…’: Congress's Shama Mohamed slammed for X post on Indian cricketer
Shama Mohamed's accusation of religious bias in Sarfaraz Khan's non-selection for the India A squad has drawn criticism.
Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Wednesday courted controversy after she questioned the non-selection of Sarfaraz Khan for India’s recent cricket assignments and targeted India coach and former BJP MP Gautam Gambhir.
Taking to X, Shama Mohamed wrote, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname! #justasking. We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter.”
Her remarks came after Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the India A squad for the upcoming series against South Africa A in Bengaluru.
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The post triggered widespread criticism, with many calling it an attempt to give a communal twist to a purely cricketing matter.
Sarfaraz, who last represented India in the home series against New Zealand in November 2024, was not included in the squads for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the England tour, or the West Indies series. Despite a remarkable domestic record and a visible fitness transformation, the Mumbai batter hasn’t found a place even in the second-string teams.
Mohamed’s comment came days after AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and his party spokesperson Waris Pathan raised similar questions about Sarfaraz’s repeated omission.
Pathan told India Today that the batter’s consistent performances merited inclusion, saying, “When a man is averaging so much, there is definitely more to it. Why hasn’t he been picked?”
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However, several political leaders and cricket experts slammed Mohamed’s remarks.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused the Congress of trying to communalise cricket.
“This lady and her party are sick. After calling Rohit Sharma fat, she and her party now want to divide even our cricket team on communal lines? Desh ka partition karke mann nahi bhara kya? In the same team Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed will play! Stop dividing India on communal and caste lines," Poonawalla wrote.
Mohsin Raza, former Uttar Pradesh minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, urged politicians not to “communalise” sports. “No need to politicise this. Shami plays, Siraj plays. This is unfair,” he told the news channel.
Reports claimed that Sarfaraz’s omission was based on injury concerns and team balance, not religion.
Also Read | Sarfaraz Khan keeps scoring runs, BCCI keeps ignoring him - Why performances are not enough for a call up
Chief selector Ajit Agarkar had earlier clarified that Sarfaraz missed the home series against the West Indies due to a quadriceps injury and had to regain match fitness before being considered again.
Sarfaraz, who made his Test debut earlier this year, has scored 371 runs in six matches at an average close to 40, including a 150-run knock against New Zealand. Despite his strong domestic record, averaging over 65 in first-class cricket, he remains on the fringes of national selection.
Selectors, sources said, are currently exploring batting combinations, with players such as Rajat Patidar, B Sai Sudharsan, and Ruturaj Gaikwad being tried in middle-order roles.
