Amid widespread outrage over Congress leader Shama Mohamed’s ‘fat’ remark on India captain Rohit Sharma, batting great Sunil Gavaskar has shared his views on the body shaming controversy. In a post on X, Shama Mohamed said that Rohit needs to lose weight as he is “fat for a sportsman”. “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!” wrote Shama in a post that has now been deleted by her amid public outrage.
However, Gavaskar was of the opinion 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.
“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,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“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,” he added.
In another post, Shama had compared Rohit to other India captains, labelling him as a “mediocre” leader.
“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,” she had said.
With India set to play Australia in a crucial Champions Trophy semi-final on Tuesday, Shama’s remarks also invited criticism from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Even Shama’s own party, Congress, has distanced itself from her.
“The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy,” said Congress’ media and publicity department head Pawan Khera.
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