India team skipper Rohit Sharma has found himself at the center of controversy during the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, after a Congress spokesperson fat-shamed him, calling him ” the most unimpressive” Indian captain in history.
Indian National Congress (INC) spokesperson Dr Shama Mohamed, made controversial remarks in a now-deleted post on X, formerly Twitter, stating that Sharma needed to lose weight.
“@ImRo45 is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight and of course the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!”
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She added that Rohit Sharma was a “mediocre” captain, suggesting he was merely “lucky” to be in the position and lacked the world-class abilities of his predecessors.
Dr Shama Mohamed tweeted these comments during the match between India and New Zealand in the Champions Trophy, which drew reactions from fans and political rivals.
According to the Indian news outlet NDTV, Devajit Saikia, the secretary of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), responded to the remarks, calling them “unfortunate.”
“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. It may have a demoralising effect on an individual or the team,” he said.
“All the players are performing to their highest potential and results are visible. I hope individuals will desist from making such derogatory statements for personal publicity sake,” said BCCI secretary.
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For the unversed, India remained unbeaten in the group stages of the eight-team tournament and secured top spot in the Group A of the ongoing ICC Champions Trophy.
The Men in Blue defeated Bangladesh, Pakistan, and New Zealand to reach the semi-finals. They will now face off Australia in the semi-final on Tuesday, 4 March in Dubai.
Read: ICC reveals match officials for Champions Trophy 2025 semi-finals