Former India cricketer Yograj Singh lambasted Congress leader Shama Mohamed, who allegedly passed body-shaming remarks on India captain Rohit Sharma on X, formerly Twitter. A controversy erupted after Shama made comments about Rohit’s fitness, leading to a fierce response from Yograj, the father of former India cricketer and World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh.
Shama's tweets, which have since been deleted, referred to Rohit as "fat" and "unimpressive captain," suggesting he needed to lose weight. Her comments came in the aftermath of Rohit's poor performance with the bat against New Zealand. He scored 15 runs off 17 deliveries.
Yograj expressed deep disappointment and anger at the comments, stating that those who have brought pride to the nation deserve respect. He went as far as to say that if he were the Prime Minister of India, he would have asked Shama to "pack her bags and leave the country" for disrespecting a national icon.
"I only want to say one thing, jiska kaam usee ko saaje aur kare to danda baaje (the work only suits those to whom it belongs; if done by anyone else, it is ruined). Indian cricketers, people and the land are more dear to me than my own life. If someone in the political system makes such a statement about a player who has brought pride to our nation, that person should be ashamed," Yograj said as quoted to ANI.
"They have no right to stay in our nation. Cricket is our religion; we lost against New Zealand and Australia, and a lot of things were said about Rohit and Virat. We stood up for them. I feel so sad. These things happen in Pakistan. Their former star player said, 'Who will eat so many bananas?' (Taking a jibe at Wasim Akram). Action should be taken. This should not be tolerated. If I were the prime minister, I would have said, pack your bags and leave the country," he added.
BCCI Secretary Criticises Congress Spokesperson
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saika also criticized Shama's remarks, calling them demoralizing and urging individuals to avoid such statements. Following the backlash, Shama clarified that her comments were about general fitness and not body-shaming. After Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) also joined the bandwagon and took a jibe at Congress, Shama was made to delete the concerned tweet and other related posts on Rohit.
Meanwhile, Rohit is currently leading India in the ongoing semi-final of the Champions Trophy 2025 against Australia. If India emerge victorious, they will face one of South Africa and New Zealand on March 9 in Dubai.
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