Congress representative Shama Mohamed triggered controversy on Wednesday by suggesting head coach Gautam Gambhir excluded Sarfaraz Khan from the India A squad because of religious prejudice. She questioned whether the batter's surname influenced his omission from the 15-player roster for matches against South Africa A. Chief selector Ajit Agarkar said injury concerns kept Sarfaraz out of the team that included Muslim players Mohammad Siraj and Khaleel Ahmed.
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla condemned Mohamed for attempting to divide cricket on communal grounds. Sarfaraz scored 92 runs against England Lions in his last India A appearance at Canterbury. The 27-year-old averages over 110 in first-class matches from the past five years with 2,541 runs. He hit a century against New Zealand in November and collected 371 runs across six Test matches at nearly 40 per game.
