The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has condemned the controversial comments made by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed about Team India captain Rohit Sharma’s physical appearance.
The cricketing body criticised the comments, calling them demoralising, and urged individuals to avoid such statements.
Her comments came after Rohit Sharma scored 15 runs from 17 balls during Sunday’s Champions Trophy match against New Zealand.
“It’s very unfortunate this kind of remarks come from such a person who is on a responsible post to our captain, on a meanwhile time when India is playing an ICC tournament and the team is all set to play Semi final,” Devajit Saikia, BCCI Secretary, said.
BCCI pointed out that such public statements from prominent personalities could have a demoralising effect on the team.
The statement added, “It may have a demoralising effect on an individual or the team as all players are performing to their highest potential and the results are visible. I hope individuals shall desist from making such derogatory statements for personal publicity sake.”
“Request not to make such comments,” BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia said.
The controversial post that drew massive backlash stated, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!”
The post has now been deleted.
The controversy escalated when BJP criticised the Congress party, pointing out their electoral losses under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership while defending Sharma’s captaincy.
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“It was a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It was not body-shaming. I always believed a sportsperson should be fit, and I felt he was a bit overweight, so I just tweeted about that. I have been attacked for no reason. When I compared him with previous captains, I put in a statement. I have the right. What is wrong in saying? It is a democracy…” Mohamed said.
