Former India cricketer and 2011 World Cup winner Harbhajan Singh has slammed Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed for calling Rohit Sharma 'fat' and questioning his ability as captain of the Indian cricket team. The spinner condemned the remarks and said it hurts when people with zero knowledge of the game give sermons. Harbhajan added athletes are also humans with emotion and sentiment and called the incident unfortunate.
"The controversy on fitness of Rohit Sharma was unfortunate and uncalled for. He is an outstanding player and an exceptional leader who has made immense contributions to Indian cricket. Sportspersons are also human beings with emotion and sentiment. It indeed hurts when persons who have zero knowledge of the game give sermons. Respect the game and respct the players," wrote Harbhajan Singh on social media.
The controversy on fitness of @ImRo45 was unfortunate and uncalled for. He is an outstanding player and an exceptional leader who has made immense contributions to Indian cricket. Sportspersons are also human beings with emotion and sentiment. It indeed hurts when persons who
Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) March 3, 2025
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also joined the bandwagon and lashed out at criticism of Rohit's fitness while speaking to India Today. The batting maestro maintained that physical fitness and match fitness are two different attributes in cricket and cited the example of Sarfaraz Khan.
"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. 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?" Gavaskar said on Monday.
"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," he added.
What is the controversy?
The post now deleted by the politician on X read: "@ImRo45 (Rohit Sharma's X account) is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And ofcourse the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!"
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Shama also compared Rohit to his predecessors and called the 37-year-old a mediocre captain and player.
"What is so world class about him when compared to his predecessors like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Dhoni, Kohli , Kapil dev, Shastri & the rest! He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the Captain of India," she stated.
Shama also questioned Rohit's decision to drop Shubman Gill for the MCG Test and move KL Rahul to No. 3. She also criticized the T20 World Cup 2024-winning captain for losing the ODI World Cup 2023 final to Australia in Ahmedabad.
"Didn't he move KL Rahul to bat at number 3 at the MCG Test & put himself at number 1 which backfired totally ! Wasn't that a selfish move? Because of that Shubman Gill was out of the XI."
"Didn't we lose the last World Cup which took place in Ahmedabad? I have compared him to our previous captains," she wrote.
Shama after backlash justified her remarks and said it was a “generic” comment on an athlete’s fitness and that she was being unfairly targeted.
What is Congress' stance on the controversy?
The congress party on Monday directed Shama Mohamed to delete her social media post fat-shaming Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma following widespread criticism from Political circles and the sports fraternity.
Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera addressed the controversy on X, stating, "Dr Shama Mohamed, National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, made certain remarks about a cricketing legend that do not reflect the party's position."
"She has been asked to delete the concerned social media posts from X and has been advised to exercise greater caution in the future," he added.
"The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy," Khera added.
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