• Source:JND
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Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed on Wednesday raised concerns over cricketer Sarfaraz Khan being left out of the India A squad for the upcoming South Africa A series, following a political controversy on Tuesday suggesting possible communal bias in the selection process.

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.”

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Her remarks came shortly after Sarfaraz Khan was left out of the India A squad for the upcoming series against South Africa A in Bengaluru. The post drew widespread criticism, with many accusing her of trying to inject a communal angle into what was fundamentally a cricketing decision.

Mohamed’s comments followed similar concerns raised by AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and his party spokesperson Waris Pathan regarding Sarfaraz’s repeated exclusions. Despite an impressive domestic record and a notable fitness transformation, the Mumbai batter has been overlooked for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the England tour, and the West Indies series.

 Pathan questioned the decision, telling, “When a man is averaging so much, there is definitely more to it. Why hasn’t he been picked?” Nevertheless, several political figures and cricket experts criticized Mohamed for politicising the issue.

BJP Reaction 

BJP leader Shehzad Poonawalla swiftly reacted to her post, accusing the Congress of attempting 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, appealed to politicians to avoid “communalising” sports. “There’s no need to politicise this. Shami plays, Siraj plays. This is unfair,” he told the news channel.

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On Tuesday, the BCCI selection committee, chaired by Ajit Agarkar, announced squads for two four-day matches against South Africa A, and once again, Sarfaraz’s name was absent. Both teams will be led by Rishabh Pant. While fans and some political figures expressed disappointment over the omission, sources within the board indicated that the decision was likely based on fitness and team balance rather than any bias, though this explanation did little to quell the social media backlash.

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