The issue of Indian cricketer Sarfaraz Khan’s exclusion from the India A team has now escalated.
The controversy began when Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohammed questioned on social media whether Sarfaraz was overlooked because of his surname.
This statement prompted a sharp response from the BJP, and now this cricketing issue has taken a political turn.
Shama Mohammed’s allegation
Shama Mohammed posted on X, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname? #justasking. We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter.”
She implied that coach Gautam Gambhir discriminated on religious grounds in the selection of the India A team.
The BCCI announced a 15-member India A squad, which will play two first-class matches against South Africa A.
Selection committee chief Ajit Agarkar stated that Sarfaraz was excluded due to injury, but Shama’s statement sparked a furor.
BJP counterattack and political twist
BJP national spokesperson Shahzad Poonawala responded strongly to Shama’s statement.
He wrote on Twitter, “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? Did you divide the country? In the same team, Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed will play! Stop dividing India on communal and caste lines.”
Poonawala accused the Congress party of communalizing cricket. He also pointed out that Shama had previously sparked controversy by calling Rohit Sharma a “fat sportsperson” and an “unimpressive captain.”
Meanwhile, Sarfaraz Khan’s record speaks for itself. The 27-year-old batsman has scored 2,541 runs in first-class cricket over the past five years at an impressive average of 110.47, including 10 centuries and 5 half-centuries.
In the Test series against New Zealand last year, he scored 171 runs, including a century. He has 371 runs in six Test matches, averaging around 40.
His last India A innings was against the England Lions, where he scored 92 runs. Despite such a record, his non-selection raises many questions.
