Congress's Shama Mohamed slams Gautam Gambhir over Sarfaraz Khan’s omission - ‘Not selected because of his surname?’

Sparking a heated debate on social media, Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed slammed Indian Cricket Team head coach Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday for alleged religious bias, specifically questioning the decision to exclude Sarfaraz Khan from senior national team selections.

See the post here:

In a post on X, Congress leader Shama said, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname ! #justasking . We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter.”

BCCI announced the India A squad on Tuesday.

Reacting to Shama's remark, Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi said, “...It is true that Muslims are being disrespected in all areas, muslims are not being allowed to offer namaz, they just want to suppress Muslims...The players who are playing well, irrespective of their religion, should be given an opportunity to play.”

Netizens react

A user, while reacting to Mohamad's post, asked, “Really? Do cricketing form, team balance and performance decide selection? Let’s not drag surnames into everything.”

While another took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and said, “Just like @RahulGandhi get selected as Congress boss for life because of his surname?! #justasking.”

A user wrote, “Before this question, let us take a look at Indian cricket history. How many remember the names of cricketing Legends like Syed Abid Ali, Syed Kirmani, Tiger Pataudi, and Md. Azharuddin, Saad Bin Jung, etc. I think Indian cricket is above religion.”

Where is Sarfaraz Khan?

Sarfaraz Khan has not played for the national team for a considerable period. He last featured for India during the home Test series against New Zealand last year.

Sarfaraz Khan, meanwhile, is set to represent Mumbai in the 2025–26 Ranji Trophy season. His last appearance for India came in the Test series against New Zealand in November 2024. He recorded scores of 0, 150, 11, 9, 0, and 1.

Who is leading the India A squad?

Rishabh Pant is set to make his competitive cricket comeback as captain of India A. He will lead the team against South Africa A in a four-day match on 30 October at the BCCI's Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.

A look at India's batting line-up

India's batting line-up includes Ayush Mhatre, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ayush Badoni. The squad also includes three all-rounders, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, and Manav Suthar. Anshul Kamboj and Yash Thakur will lead the pace attack in the first match, while Saransh Jain will lead the spin department. India squad for first four-day match: Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), Ayush Mhatre, N Jagadeesan (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Anshul Kamboj, Yash Thakur, Ayush Badoni, Saransh Jain.

India squad for second four-day match: Rishabh Pant (capt, wk), KL Rahul, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Sai Sudharsan (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Ruturaj Gaikwad, Harsh Dubey, Tanush Kotian, Manav Suthar, Khaleel Ahmed, Gurnoor Brar, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep.

(With inputs from agencies)