Defending her comments, Shama said that she made the posts in a “generic manner” as she feels that a sportsperson should be fit. She said that she did not mean to “body-shame” Rohit Sharma but was commenting on his fitness.

“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,” she told news agency ANI.

What Shama Mohamed had said

Shama Mohamed’s remarks about Rohit Sharma’s fitness came after he was dismissed after 15 runs off 17 balls during an India-New Zealand match for the ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday.

India won the match by 44 runs, however, Shama made remarks about the cricket team’ captain’s weight, calling him “fat” and suggesting that he needs to lose weight. She also called him the “most unimpressive captain India has ever had”.

In a now deleted post, she wrote, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!”

Comparing Sharma to previous captains of the Indian cricket team, Shama wrote in another post, “What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the captain of India.”

Congress says ‘not party’s stance’

Distancing itself from the controversial remarks made by its spokesperson, the Congress party said that her comments do not reflect the party’s official stance.

Congress leader Pawan Khera said that Shama was asked to take down the post by the party and has also been advised to “exercise greater caution in the future”.

“The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of legendary figures in the sports world in the highest regard and does not endorse any statement that undermines their legacy,” Khera added in his post.

BJP’s reaction

Not leaving the chance to criticise the Congress spokesperson’s remarks, BJP’s Shehzad Poonawalla said that “Those who have lost 90 elections under captaincy of Rahul Gandhi are calling captaincy of Rohit Sharma unimpressive!”

“I guess 6 ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses is impressive but winning T20 World Cup isn’t! Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain by the way!” he added.

Another BJP leader Radhika Khera also attacked the Congress party over the remarks of its spokesperson. “The sheer audacity! This is the same Congress that humiliated athletes for decades, denied them recognition, and now dares to mock a cricketing legend? The party that thrives on nepotism is lecturing a self-made champion?” she said.

“Rohit Sharma is a World Cup-winning captain. Your leader, @RahulGandhi can’t even captain his own party without crashing it into the ground!” she said