Congress leader Shama Mohamed deletes ‘Rohit Sharma fat’ tweet after backlash: ‘Generic comments on fitness but…’

Following backlash, Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed deleted her tweet in which she called Rohit Sharma 'fat' and the most 'unimpressive' Indian skipper to date. 

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Dr Shama Mohamed wrote, “@ImRo45 is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And ofcourse the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had ! [sic]”

When a Pakistani journalist replied to Dr Shama Mohamed's post calling Rohit world-class, the Congress spokesperson doubled down and replied, “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 [sic].”

In a reply to another post, she said India lost the 2023 ODI World Cup under Rohit's leadership and compared him to other Indian captains. 

She posted: “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 Shubam 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 . [sic]”

Congress spokesperson issues clarification

Speaking to ANI, Dr Shama Mohamed said it was just a “generic” tweet about a sportsperson's fitness, and she is being attacked for no reason. 

She 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..."

Dr Shama Mohamed also compared Rohit Sharma to his predecessor, Virat Kohli, stating that he led from the front and also stood by his teammates whenever they were in need.  

Congress Media and Publicity Department chairman Pawan Khera has also issued a clarification on the party's behalf in a post on X, stating, “Dr. Shama Mohammed, 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 [sic].”

“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.

BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia while speaking to NDTV said, “The team is in the middle of a crucial tournament. It may have demoralising effect on the team and players… Request not to make such comments.”

Rohit Sharma's men in Champions Trophy semi-finals 

Notably, Dr Shama Mohamed's post started gaining traction on social media right after India defeated New Zealand to win their third straight game in the Champions Trophy and secure a berth for the semi-finals against Australia on March 4. 

Under Rohit Sharma's leadership, India reached the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup, won the T20 World Cup 2024 and have now qualified for the Champions Trophy semi-finals.