‘Unfortunate…’: BCCI secretary on Shama Mohamed’s comments about Rohit Sharma

NEW DELHI: Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia on Monday shared his thoughts on comments made by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed where she called Team India skipper Rohit Sharma ‘fat’.

Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed, whose criticism of ‘fat’ Team India skipper Rohit Sharma triggered outrage, clarified on Monday that her remark was “generic” while asking “what is wrong in saying? It is a democracy…”

Mohamed in a post on X, which she subsequently deleted, said that the Indian cricket team’s captain needs to “lose weight”, and called him the country’s “most unimpressive captain”.

Mohamed remarks followed after Rohit Sharma was dismissed after 15 runs off 17 balls during a match against New Zealand for the Champions Trophy on Sunday.The Congress leader’s comments drew massive criticism with the BJP stating that a party which had lost “90 elections” under Rahul Gandhi was terming the captaincy of Rohit Sharma as unimpressive.

“It’s very unfortunate this kind of remarks come from such a person who is on a responsible post to our captain, at a time when India is playing an ICC tournament and the team is all set to play semifinal”, Devajit Saikia said.

Those who have lost 90 elections under captaincy of Rahul Gandhi are calling captaincy of Rohit Sharma unimpressive!

I guess 6 ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses is impressive but winning T20 World Cup isn’t!

Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain by the way! pic.twitter.com/5xE8ecrr4x

— Shehzad Jai Hind (Modi Ka Parivar) (@Shehzad_Ind) March 3, 2025

The Congress leader’s comments drew massive criticism from the BJP which said that a party which had lost “90 elections” under Rahul Gandhi was terming the captaincy of Rohit Sharma as unimpressive.

The Congress’ national spokesperson 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…”

Congress spokesperson body-shaming @ImRo45 – The sheer audacity!

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?

Rohit… pic.twitter.com/mbreaKLT3a

— Radhika Khera (@Radhika_Khera) March 2, 2025

The BJP accused her of “body shaming” the stalwart batter and took a dig at the Congress party’s electoral performance.

“Those who have lost 90 elections under captaincy of Rahul Gandhi are calling captaincy of Rohit Sharma unimpressive! I guess 6 ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses is impressive but winning T20 World Cup isn’t! Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain by the way! ” Shehzad Poonawalla posted on X.

Meanwhile, Congress MP Rajani Patil said that the Congress will seek a response from Mohamed on the issue. “I personally and the party also will not approve of body shaming anyone. Talking this way about a sportsperson who represents the country is not right. The party will seek a response from her on this,” Patil said.

On Sunday, New Zealand fell to India’s spin ploy as the Rohit Sharma-led side ended at the top of Group A with a 44-run victory in Dubai.

India decided to drop Harshit Rana and field four spinners for their final group-stage game before the semifinals. The decision worked wonders as India’s ball tweakers spun New Zealand batters inside out to defend its 249-run target successfully.

With a third victory on the trot, India ended the group stage with six points, while New Zealand finished in second with four points. (ANI)