Former India legend Sunil Gavaskar has come to the defence of current captain Rohit Sharma following controversial remarks made by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed.
Gavaskar addressed the criticism while also highlighting the case of Mumbai cricketer Sarfaraz Khan, who faced similar scrutiny regarding his body weight despite his performance capabilities.
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“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,” he told India Today.
“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?”
“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.”
Gavaskar emphasised the importance of mental strength and scoring ability over physical appearance in cricket.
Following social media backlash, Shama Mohamed acknowledged her inappropriate comments, and her party requested the removal of her post from X platform.
In her now-deleted post, Shama had called Rohit “fat for a sportsman” and described him as “the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had.”
Rohit Sharma is currently preparing to lead India in the upcoming Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final against Australia in Dubai.
The match presents an opportunity for redemption after India’s recent losses to Australia in both the ODI World Cup final in Ahmedabad and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.
