Congress spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed faced backlash from the BJP after criticising Indian cricket team captain Rohit Sharma for being overweight. However, she has now defended her statement in a new video, further involving Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami in the debate.
Mohamed's initial post read, "Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!" She further questioned Sharma's legacy compared to cricketing legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Kapil Dev, dismissing him as a "mediocre captain and player" who "got lucky" to lead India.
Defending her stance, Shama stated, "This was just a general tweet about a player's fitness. It was not body-shaming. I always believe that athletes should be fit. Rohit is a little overweight, which is why I tweeted about it. I am being unnecessarily attacked. When I compared him to previous captains, I made a statement. I have the right to express my opinion. What is wrong with that? This is a democracy."
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She further added, "After India's defeat against Pakistan, Mohammed Shami faced severe criticism. At that time, Virat Kohli stood by him. Later, these same people criticised Virat as well. Virat is a good captain and supports his players. He is a leader who backs young players and appreciates others, even if they are rivals."
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla criticised Shama Mohamed's remarks, saying, "While opposing India, Congress has now started opposing Indians as well. By attacking Rohit, they have made a body-shaming statement. This is not 'Mohabbat Ki Dukan' (a shop of love); they are spreading hatred. They hate everything that contributes to India's success. They are talking about Rohit Sharma's captaincy and strike rate but conveniently forget that under Rahul Gandhi's leadership, Congress has lost 90 elections."
Meanwhile, in cricket, India posted a total of 249/9, with Shreyas Iyer scoring 79, Axar Patel 42, Hardik Pandya 45, and KL Rahul contributing 23 runs. New Zealand's Matt Henry took five wickets. Despite Kane Williamson's efforts, the Indian bowlers proved too strong for the Kiwis. Varun Chakravarthy took five wickets, while Kuldeep Yadav claimed two, bowling out New Zealand for 205 runs in 45.3 overs.