Congress's Shama Mohamed calls Rohit Sharma ‘overweight’ and ‘unimpressive captain’; BJP hits back

Congress spokesperson Dr. Shama Mohamed sparked controversy after calling Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma "fat" and "the most unimpressive captain India has ever had" in a social media post on Sunday. Her remarks came after Sharma was dismissed for 15 runs off 17 balls during India's ICC Champions Trophy group-stage match against New Zealand. Despite India securing a 44-run victory and qualifying for the semi-finals, Mohamed questioned Rohit's fitness and leadership abilities, comparing him to past Indian cricket legends.

Following massive criticism, Mohamed deleted her tweet but defended her stance in a statement. "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," she said. She also justified her comparison of Rohit with previous Indian captains, stating, "I have the right. What is wrong in saying? It is a democracy."

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strongly reacted to Mohamed’s comments, with spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla taking a jibe at Congress and Rahul Gandhi. "Those who have lost 90 elections under the captaincy of Rahul Gandhi are calling the captaincy of Rohit Sharma unimpressive!" Poonawalla said. He further added, "I guess six ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses are impressive, but winning the T20 World Cup isn’t! Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain, by the way!"

BJP leader Radhika Khera also criticized the Congress party for allegedly undermining Indian athletes. "This is the same Congress that humiliated athletes for decades, denied them recognition, and now dares to mock a cricketing legend? The party that thrives on nepotism is lecturing a self-made champion?" Khera wrote on social media. Another BJP leader, Pradeep Bhandari, questioned if Congress now expected Rahul Gandhi to play cricket after failing in politics.

The controversy unfolded as India advanced to the Champions Trophy semi-finals, with key performances from Shreyas Iyer, who scored 79 runs, and Varun Chakravarthy, who took five wickets. While Rohit Sharma remained a subject of online debate, India will next face Australia in the semi-finals, aiming for a spot in the final.