- Tuesday, March 04, 2025
The Congress party said Shama Mohamed’s post did not reflect the party’s position and that she had been asked to delete the post
By: India Weekly
INDIA’S cricket board defended its World-Cup-winning captain Rohit Sharma after comments about his lack of fitness from a spokesperson for the Congress party.
Sharma, who turns 38 next month, is leading the Indian cricket team in the Champions Trophy but was criticised for his weight by Shama Mohamed, who said he was “fat for a sportsperson”.
“Need to lose weight, And of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!” Mohamed said in a now-deleted post on X late on Sunday (2).
The Congress party said her post did not reflect the party’s position and that Mohamed had been asked to delete the post.
Sharma also found support from Bharatiya Janata Party, as well as the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which said such comments could have an adverse effect on the team.
“It is very unfortunate that these derogatory, demoralising comments are being made when the team is in the crucial stage of a global tournament,” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told Reuters on a phone call when asked for a reaction to Mohamed’s comments.
India’s sports minister Mansukh Mandaviya said in a post on X: “Such comments undermine the hard work and sacrifices that our sportspersons make to represent the country on the global stage.”
Reuters could not immediately reach Sharma or his spokesperson for comment.
Mohamed defended her remarks, saying her post was a generic comment on the fitness of a sportsperson and did not amount to body-shaming.
“I felt he is overweight and tweeted about it. I have been attacked for no reason,” she told news agency ANI.
Sharma retired from Twenty20 international cricket minutes after leading the team to their World Cup triumph last year.
Cricketers in India enjoy demi-god status, earning millions in endorsements and propelling a multi-billion dollar media and sports industry.
Gavaskar backs Sharma
Former batting great Sunil Gavaskar came in support of Sharma and said that cricket is more about mental strength and player’s physical appearance has nothing to do with it.
He also suggested that if fitness was the first criteria of selection, models should be picked in the team, he told India Today.
Citing the example of Sarfraz Khan, who gets vilified for being on the heavier side, he said if he “scores 150 for India in a Test match and follows it up with another two or three fifty-plus scores, then what’s the issue?”
“It’s your mental strength-whether you can last the distance-that’s the most important thing. Bat well, bat for long, and score runs,” he added. (Agencies)
