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MSK Prasad refutes claims of bias after Sarfaraz Khan controversy, stressing that Indian cricket selection is based on performance, not religion or surname.
Sarfaraz Khan ignored for India A-South Africa A series. (Picture Credit: PTI)
Former chairman of the national selection committee, MSK Prasad, firmly stated that players are never chosen based on their name, surname, or religion. He addressed these concerns after allegations were made by a politician against Indian coach Gautam Gambhir and the selection panel led by Ajit Agarkar, accusing them of excluding Sarfaraz Khan due to his surname.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Prasad, who served as India’s Chief National Selector from 2016 to 2020, emphasised that the panel never discriminates against players based on their religion or community background. He remarked that those who believe otherwise ‘don’t understand Indian cricket at all.’
“It’ll never happen. When the kid got selected, forget Sarfaraz – generally, when a player is selected, you don’t talk about communities, regionalism, or other stuff. But why do all these things come out only when someone is dropped? We all know that Sarfaraz Khan has done exceptionally well; he has done well in domestic cricket and all. There could be some reason that the selectors would come out and tell. I don’t really foresee Sarfaraz being dropped in an India A game.”
“There must be a solid reason; it may be any reason, but let the selectors come out and say it. But my opinion on regionalism and communalism being the reason behind a player being dropped is absolutely… ah! I don’t think I’ve ever come across such a thing, because we never take the community or a particular religion into account when selecting. The only thing that is considered is a player’s performance. And if someone is thinking along those lines, they are wrong and don’t understand Indian cricket at all,” Prasad said.
Why The Clarification?
A political controversy recently arose when Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed accused Gautam Gambhir, the head coach of the Indian cricket team and a former BJP Member of Parliament, of religious bias after Sarfaraz was excluded from the India ‘A’ squad for the upcoming series against South Africa ‘A’.
In a post on X, Shama wrote, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname! Just asking. We know where Gautam Gambhir stands on that matter,” sparking a political and social media backlash.
Prasad condemned these statements and clarified that selectors would never favour any player based on anything other than their performance and abilities.
(With inputs from IANS)
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin…Read More
Ritayan Basu, Senior Sub-Editor, Sports at News18.com. Has been covering domestic and and international football for nearly a decade. Has played and covered badminton. Ocassionally writes cricket content, havin… Read More
October 25, 2025, 21:06 IST
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