Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has come out in defense of current Indian captain Rohit Sharma following controversial comments made by Congress leader Shama Mohamed. The politician’s remarks about Sharma’s physique sparked outrage, prompting Gavaskar to hit back and emphasize that performance, not body size, defines a cricketer’s worth.
Sunil Gavaskar addressed the issue, drawing parallels with Mumbai cricketer Sarfaraz Khan, who had also faced criticism over his body weight despite delivering outstanding performances. While speaking in an interview, Gavaskar stated, “I have always said, if you want only slim guys, then you should go to a modelling competition and pick all the models. It’s not about that.”
Further elaborating on his point, he added, “It’s about how well you can play cricket. We talked about Sarfaraz Khan—he was vilified for a long time because he was on the heavier side. But if he scores 150 for India in a Test match and follows it up with another two or three fifty-plus scores, then what’s the issue?”
The legendary batsman highlighted that mental resilience is the key factor in cricket, rather than appearance. “I don’t think size has anything to do with it. It’s your mental strength—whether you can last the distance—that’s the most important thing. Bat well, bat for long, and score runs,” he remarked.
Following the backlash on social media, Shama Mohamed acknowledged that her comments were inappropriate. The party reportedly urged her to delete the post from her X account. In the now-deleted post, she had written that Rohit Sharma is “fat for a sportsman” and stated, “Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!”
The Congress leader’s comments were really pathetic!
