New Delhi: A senior member of Indian National Congress, Shama Mohamed, has launched a blistering public attack on Gautam Gambhir — accusing him and the team management of excluding Sarfaraz Khan from the upcoming India “A” squad for reasons tied to his surname. Her comments come ahead of the tour by South Africa A to India and the main series between India national cricket team and South Africa national cricket team in 2025.
Mohamed questioned whether Sarfaraz’s non-selection for the 15-man “A” side squad in Bengaluru — despite the batter being in “relatively solid touch of late” — was influenced by his surname. She posted on social platform X (formerly Twitter):
“Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname ! #justasking . We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter.”
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
The controversy centres on Sarfaraz Khan’s non-inclusion in the India A squad led by Rishabh Pant, despite recent domestic performances including scores of 42 and 32 in his first and second innings respectively in the 2025-26 Ranji Trophy opener for Mumbai cricket team.
In response, former India cricketer Atul Wassan dismissed Mohamed’s claim of a religious or surname-based bias, calling the allegation “preposterous” and emphasising that “this has never happened in Indian cricket.”
Sarfaraz Khan’s last appearance for India came during the 2024 home series against New Zealand national cricket team, where after a maiden ton he failed to make the cut in subsequent selections.
He was omitted from the 2024-25 Border‑Gavaskar Trophy, the England tour and the home Test series versus the West Indies national cricket team despite middle-order slots opening up.
In comments referencing his omission, selector Ajit Agarkar reasoned that others such as Karun Nair had superior domestic runs, County cricket exposure, and “a bit of Test cricket”.