“Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname” - Congress official’s scathing attack on Gautam Gambhir ahead of IND vs SA 2025 series

Congress official Shama Mohamed questioned batter Sarfaraz Khan's exclusion from the India 'A' squad for the upcoming first-class fixtures against South Africa 'A' in Bengaluru. The Mumbai batter did not find a place in the 15-man squad led by Rishabh Pant for either of the matches despite being in relatively solid touch of late.

Shama Mohamed, who was in the spotlight for her controversial remarks over Rohit Sharma's fitness, made another scathing remark, accusing head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious bias and prejudice. She opined that Sarfaraz Khan was not considered by the team management solely because of his surname.

"Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname ! #justasking . We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter," she posted on X on Wednesday, October 22.

Former India cricketer Atul Wassan slammed the Congress official's claims, opining that religion has nothing to do with the Mumbai batter's selection status.

"I think it is very sad. I agree that Sarfaraz has not been given the respect and the chances he deserves. But Congress' allegations are preposterous. This has never happened in Indian cricket. Time and again, we hear the religion card being played - even in Azhar's time. I do not believe it is because of any religious angle," told NDTV.

Sarfaraz Khan had recently made a return to competitive cricket after a major fitness overhaul, which was followed by an unfortunate quadriceps injury. He was among the runs in the Buchi Babu Tournament, and in the first unofficial Test against the England Lions a few months back.

He featured for Mumbai in their 2025-26 Ranji Trophy opener against Jammu and Kashmir, where he scored 42 and 32 in the first and the second innings, respectively.

Sarfaraz Khan's last appearance for India came during the 2024 home series against New Zealand

The right-handed batter made a strong impression in his maiden Test series against England at home after having had to wait a considerable time on the sidelines. He retained his spot for the next home assignment against New Zealand as well, where he recorded his maiden ton. However, after scoring just 21 runs in his four innings, he was dropped from the side.

Since then, he was not considered for the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar trophy, the tour of England, or the home Test series against the West Indies. Despite spots in the middle-order being opened up amid transition, Sarfaraz has not had an opportunity yet. The likes of Dhruv Jurel, Devdutt Padikkal, and Karun Nair have been ahead of him in the pecking order in recent times.

"Sometimes you just have to make good decisions. Sarfaraz, I know he got a 100 in the first Test (against New Zealand) and then didn't get runs. Sometimes these are decisions the team management takes. At the moment, Karun has scored heaps of runs in domestic, has played a bit of Test cricket, played a bit of county cricket. With Virat not there, clearly we're lacking a bit of experience. We felt his experience could help," Agarkar had reasoned while naming the squad for the tour of England a few months back (via India Today).

The batter will have the opportunity to remain in the selectors' radar through Mumbai's upcoming set of Ranji Trophy fixtures. The domestic heavyweights are scheduled to face Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh over the next few weeks.