Congress leader Shama Mohamed recently made a remark on India captain Rohit Sharma that attracted controversy. The politician made a body shaming remark by calling Rohit Sharma “fat for a sportsman”. In a post on social media platform X, Shama Mohamed shared that Rohit needs to lose weight. The former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar came up to defend the Indian skipper after Shama Mohamed’s controversial comment which has now been deleted.
Shama Mohamed’s ‘fat’ remark on Rohit Sharma
In a post on X, Shama Mohamed addressed the current Indian captain and wrote,
“Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!”
Widespread public outrage rose after this remark and Shama deleted her post amid the outrage.
Gavaskar stepped up to support Rohit Sharma
Gavaskar shared his opinion by saying that cricket is more about mental strength and a player’s physical build has nothing to do with it. He also indicated that if fitness was the first criterion of selection, then there would have been models in the team. Gavaskar told India Today,
“I have always said, if you want only slim guys, then you should go to a modelling competition and pick all the models. It’s not about that”
He added,
“It’s about how well you can play cricket. We talked about Sarfaraz Khan-he was vilified for a long time because he was on the heavier side. But 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? I don’t think size has anything to do with it. 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”
In another post, Shama Mohamed compared Rohit to other Indian captains, tagging him as a “mediocre” leader
She targetted Rohit Sharma and wrote,
ADVERTISEMENT
“What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the captain of India”
After this controversy and Shama’s body-shaming remarks on Rohit, even her own party, Congress, has distanced itself from her. Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said,
“The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy”
Shama’s remarks also got criticized by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
ADVERTISEMENT
Shama later clarified that her tweet was a generic one and not for body-shaming
In an interview with ANI, she said,
“It was a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It was not body-shaming. I always believed a sportsperson should be fit, and I felt he was a bit overweight, so I just tweeted about that. I have been attacked for no reason. When I compared him with previous captains, I put in a statement. I have the right. What is wrong in saying? It is a democracy…”
#WATCH | On her comment on Indian Cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, Congress leader Shama Mohammed says, “It was a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It was not body-shaming. I always believed a sportsperson should be fit, and I felt he was a bit overweight, so I… pic.twitter.com/OBiLk84Mjh
— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Here is how netizens reacted
Why at this time? You wanted to demoralise him before the important match against Australia. Maybe your cousins from across the border wanted you to do so.
— Moral Victory (@lakshmianand96) March 4, 2025
She felt he was overweight. Who is she? A doctor, physiotherapist, or a sidekick seeking mainstream recognition in her state and party?
— Shiva Mudgil (@shivamudgil) March 3, 2025
Looks like shama Mohammad was very upset with Rohit team beating Paxtan
Off course it pains piddis if paxtan loses to India
Some neighbour said they heard that there was big sound after the match and suspect she broke her tv also that day— Swathi Bellam (@BellamSwathi) March 3, 2025
Shama Mohammed, we can understand that Rohit Sharma as the captain of our Indian team has defeated Pakistan in all the ICC events, let alone this #ChampionsTrophy2025. So, we can totally understand your pain. BTW, this is democracy, right?
— RAJESH🧑🏻💻 (@iamrajeshjena) March 3, 2025
You have no business or right to talk about anyone’s weight in a public forum.
Pls mind your own weight.— Shajan Samuel (@IamShajanSamuel) March 3, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking of Rohit Sharma, the captain is all set with his team for the all-important Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final clash against Australia taking place in Dubai on Tuesday.
What are your thoughts on Shama’s derogatory comments on Rohit Sharma? Let us know in the comments.
