Gautam Gambhir accused of 'Religious Bias' post Sarfaraz Khan's snub from India A, surname factor
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Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed has questioned Indian Cricket Head Coach Gautam Gambhir over the non-selection of Sarfaraz Khan for the India A squad against South Africa A despite his promising form in domestic cricket.
Indian middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan was snubbed of a spot in the India A team for the two unofficial four-day matches against South Africa A. The selection committee's decision to snub Sarfaraz Khan could not be backed by injury concerns this time, and hence, it has led to reigniting the debate over biased treatment in the Indian team.
Moreover, the Mumbai batter has been in stunning form for Mumbai in the domestic competitions and boasts a strong average of over 65 in first-class cricket. He also started the domestic season with a stunning hundred in the Buchi Babu Invitational tournament and had initiated auditioning for a Test comeback.
Gautam Gambhir faces accusations of 'religious intolerance' amid Sarfaraz Khan's non-selection
After the snub for the third consecutive time, following the England and West Indies series, Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed accused head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious bias and questioned the non-selection of Sarfaraz Khan.
She took on X and questioned whether Sarfaraz was not picked due to his surname. "Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname ! #justasking . We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter," said Mohamed on X, referring to Gambhir's stint in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname ! #justasking . We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter
— Dr. Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) October 22, 2025
This is not the first time her name has emerged amid controversies related to the game of cricket. Previously, she faced immense backlash for calling Rohit Sharma "fat for a sportsperson" and the "most unimpressive" captain in India's history, which actually never made any sense considering the skipper led India to two ICC titles.
AIMIM spokesperson backed Shama Mohamed over the controversial remark
After the tweet, Asaduddin Owaisi, the president of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), had also questioned the snub of Sarfaraz Khan and had urged clarification of 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 averaging so much, there's definitely more to it. Why hasn't he been picked?"
Sarfaraz Khan's domestic performance has been stunning; moreover, he did not even have an unimpressive international debut. In 6 games, the 28-year-old middle-order batter scored 371 runs at nearly an average of 40 and also scored a hundred, with the highest score of 150.
Former UP minister asks critics not to politicise cricket
After some politicians rallied on the Indian selection panel as well as the head coach, Gautam Gambhir, over the non-selection of a particular cricketer, a former Minister of Minorities Welfare from the UP cabinet has slammed such critics and urged them not to politicise selections in the game of cricket.
Mohsin Raza, the former minister from Yogi Adityanath's UP government, said to India Today, "No need to politicise this. Playing with cricketers' future, these so-called Muslim leaders. Shami plays, Siraj plays. This is unfair."
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Gautam Gambhir Sarfaraz Khan Shama Mohamed India A National Cricket Team India A vs South Africa A South Africa A vs India A
