Indian Politician sparks outrage by ‘Fat-Shaming’ Rohit Sharma

A fat-shaming row broke out in Indian cricket when the side’s captain Rohit Sharma was accused by a politician of being “fat for a sportsperson”.

Sharma, who turns 38 in April, is currently leading the Indian cricket team in the ongoing Champions Trophy.

However, he was criticised for his weight by Congress party spokesperson Shama Mohamed.

In a now-deleted tweet, she had said:

“Need to lose weight, and of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!”

Mohamed’s post quickly went viral and sparked outrage.

Congress said her tweet did not reflect the party’s position and that Mohamed had been asked to delete it.

Rohit Sharma also found support from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

He also received support from the Board of Control for Cricket in India, which said such comments could have an adverse effect on the team as they prepare for the semi-final of the Champions Trophy against Australia in Dubai.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said: “It is very unfortunate that these derogatory, demoralising comments are being made when the team is in the crucial stage of a global tournament.”

Mohamed defended her comment, saying her post was a generic one on the fitness of a sportsperson and did not amount to body-shaming.

She said: “I felt he is overweight and tweeted about it. I have been attacked for no reason.”

Under Virat Kohli’s captaincy, Indian cricketers adopted a more professional approach to training.

Rohit Sharma was out of the Test side for a period partly due to his fitness.

He stood down as T20 captain after winning that format’s World Cup last year but still leads the 50-over team and Test side, although he did drop himself for the final match of the Australia series in January 2025.

Meanwhile, in the Champions Trophy, India breezed through the group stage, defeating Bangladesh, Pakistan and New Zealand.

Many have said India is the overwhelming favourite to win the tournament, with the Dubai conditions favouring the side.

Ex-England cricketer Nasser Hussain said: “It is an advantage. The best team in the tournament have that advantage.

“I saw a tweet the other day saying Pakistan host nation, India home advantage, and that sort of sums it up really.”

“They’re in one place, they’re in one hotel, there is no travel, they’re in one dressing room. They know the pitch, they’ve picked for that pitch.

“I think they were very smart [selection wise]. They probably knew what Dubai was going to be like.

“They picked all their spinners. There was a bit of debate even from India media saying: ‘Why haven’t you gone for the extra seamer? Why all these spinners?’ Well, we’ve seen why. And also other sides have not done that.

“All the other sides have to pick for different conditions, Karachi, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Dubai, and then they have to travel and adjust to those conditions.

“So it is an advantage, but what else could happen? The ICC, once India refused to come to Pakistan, what else could happen? You can’t have a tournament like this without India-Pakistan, so it had to be in Dubai.”