Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar defended present team captain Rohit Sharma after Congress leader Shama Mohamed made controversial statements against the Indian skipper.
Gavaskar vehemently refuted the politician's remarks by comparing them to the kind of criticism that Mumbai cricketer Sarfaraz Khan receives despite his regular performances, which have always been criticized for his body.
I have always believed that if you're only searching for lean athletes, then maybe a modeling contest is where you need to look. That's not what this is about," said Gavaskar in India Today.
"Then it's all about how well you play cricket. Take the case of Sarfaraz Khan, for instance—he was abused for years for being overweight. But if he goes on and scores 150 runs for India in a Test match and goes on to produce several fifty-plus scores, then what's wrong?" he pointed out.
Gavaskar went on to stress that cricket is a game of mental endurance and performance more than physical build.
I don't believe body size has anything to do with it. What really matters is mental toughness—whether you possess the stamina to survive. The most important thing is to bat well, remain at the crease for extended periods, and score runs," the great opener said.
After a social media backlash, Shama Mohamed accepted that her comment was out of place, and the Congress party asked her to remove her post from X (formerly Twitter).
She had asserted in her now-deleted post that Rohit Sharma was "fat for a sportsman" and should "lose weight." She also called him "the most unimpressive captain India has ever had."
At the same time, Rohit Sharma is gearing to captain the Indian team against Australia in a clutch Champions Trophy 2025 semi-final match in Dubai on Tuesday.
The forthcoming encounter offers Team India the chance to redeem their heart-breaking loss to Australia in the final of the 2023 ODI World Cup in Ahmedabad. India has since then lost another match when they lost the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in their latest tour.
