BCCI reacts after Congress leader Shama Mohamed fat-shames Rohit Sharma: ‘Request not to…’

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has condemned Congress national spokesperson Shama Mohamed’s remarks after she fat-shamed Indian captain Rohit Sharma. The cricketing body criticised the comments, calling them demoralising, and urged individuals to avoid such statements. The controversy comes amid India’s campaign in the ICC Men’s Champions Trophy.

BCCI statement

NDTV quoted BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia as saying in a statement, “It is very unfortunate for a responsible person to pass such a trivial comment when the team is in the middle of such a crucial ICC tournament,” NDTV reported.

BCCI pointed out that such public statements from prominent personalities could have a demoralising effect on the team. The statement added, “It may have a demoralising effect on an individual or the team as all players are performing to their highest potential and the results are visible. I hope individuals shall desist from making such derogatory statements for personal publicity sake.”

“Request not to make such comments,” NDTV quoted BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia as saying.

Shama Mohamed's controversial statement

Shama Mohamed called Rohit Sharma “fat for a sportsperson” and the “most unimpressive” captain in India's history. The controversial post that drew massive backlash stated, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!” The post has now been deleted.

Congress party promptly reacted to the criticism from BJP leaders and cricket fans and the post was later taken down. Shama Mohamed had reacted to a social media user who called Rohit Sharma a “world-class player.” Dismissing these claims Shama Mohamed compared Rohit Sharma to Indian cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Kapil Dev.

Shama Mohamed defends statement

When Shama Mohamed's comments ignited heated debate and reaction, she defended her remark by suggesting that she was not body-shaming. She alleged that her tweet was a general observation about an athlete's fitness. “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,” Shama Mohamed said.

However, these comments did not go well with the Congress party, which said that the party does not endorse any statements that undermine sportspersons' legacy and “holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard”.