Amid strong backlash over Congress leader Shama Mohamed’s remarks on Rohit Sharma’s physique, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar weighed in on the body-shaming controversy. In a now-deleted post on X, Shama had called Rohit “fat for a sportsman” and claimed he needed to lose weight, also branding him the “most unimpressive” Indian captain.
Gavaskar dismissed the criticism, emphasizing that cricket is about mental strength rather than physical appearance. He pointed out that if fitness alone determined selection, teams might as well recruit models instead of cricketers.
“I’ve always maintained that if the preference is only for slim individuals, then a modelling contest would be the place to look. Cricket, however, isn’t about that,” Gavaskar told India Today.
“It’s your skill that matters, not your physique. We spoke about Sarfaraz Khan, who faced criticism for his weight for a long time. But if he scores a century for India in a Test match and then follows it up with a couple of fifties, what’s the problem? I believe size doesn’t matter. It’s all about mental strength—whether you can endure and stay focused for the long haul. If you can bat well, stay at the crease, and keep scoring, that’s what counts,” he remarked.
Shama also compared Rohit to previous Indian captains, labeling him a “mediocre” leader.
“In comparison to his predecessors, what makes him stand out as world-class? He’s just an average captain and player who got fortunate enough to be handed the captaincy of India,” she had stated.
Her comments sparked criticism not only from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) but also led to Congress distancing itself from her statements.
“The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting legends in the highest esteem and does not support any comments that diminish their legacy,” commented Pawan Khera, head of the Congress Media and Publicity Department.