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Sunil Gavaskar hit back against Shama Mohamed’s comments on Rohit Sharma. He insisted it is about how well you play the sport that matters.
Sunil Gavaskar (L, AFP Photo) and Rohit Sharma. (X/ICC)
The former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar defended the current captain Rohit Sharma after the Congress leader Shama Mohamed’s controversial comments about the Indian skipper.
Gavaskar hit back at the politician for her comments and talked about how another Mumbaikar, Sarfaraz Khan, was criticized for his body weight despite being able to perform when it matters.
“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,” said Gavaskar on 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?” he added.
Gavaskar also mentioned that it is the mental side of things that matters and also score the runs for the team.
“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,” said the legendary opening batter.
Since the outrage on social media, Shama has since acknowledged that her comments were out of line with the party asking her to delete the post from her X account.
In her now-deleted post, Shama said Rohit is “fat for a sportsman”. “Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!”
Speaking of Rohit Sharma, the skipper is all set to lead the Men in Blue for the all-important semi-final clash against Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 fixture taking place in Dubai on Tuesday.
Rohit and Co. will have a score to settle against the Aussies after ending their memorable campaign in the ODI World Cup on a heartbreaking note, after Australia beat India at Ahmedabad for the coveted title. Since then, the Indian team have also gone on to lose the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in their recent tour earlier.
(with PTI Inputs)
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