An old tweet by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed, which criticized former Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, has resurfaced and gone viral, reigniting online debates about her recent remarks on Rohit Sharma. The post from 2018, which was critical of Kohli’s response to a fan’s comments about preferring English and Australian cricketers over Indian players, has gained fresh attention following Mohamed’s controversial comments about Rohit Sharma’s fitness and leadership.
In the 2018 tweet, Mohamed took issue with Kohli’s response to a fan who claimed to enjoy watching English and Australian batsmen more than Indian players. Kohli had replied: “I don’t think you should live in India, go and live somewhere else. Why are you living in our country and loving other countries?” Mohamed’s tweet read, “Virat Kohli plays a British invented game, makes crores from endorsing foreign brands, gets married in Italy, names Hershelle Gibbs his favorite cricketer & Angelique Kerber the best tennis player, but tells those who love foreign batsmen to leave India.”
The tweet was in reference to an incident where Kohli clapped back at a fan on Twitter who claimed to prefer the batting styles of players from England and Australia. Kohli’s direct response, telling the fan to reconsider their living choices in India, sparked controversy, especially regarding his own international connections and endorsements.
This tweet has resurfaced as Shama Mohamed faces criticism for another comment she made recently regarding Rohit Sharma. In a now-deleted tweet, Mohamed referred to Rohit as “fat for a sportsman” and called him “the most unimpressive captain India has ever had.” Mohamed also questioned his decision-making abilities and leadership qualities, even drawing comparisons to former Indian captains like Sourav Ganguly, MS Dhoni, Rahul Dravid, and Virat Kohli.
Mohamed’s comments about Rohit Sharma’s fitness also stirred a backlash, with many perceiving her remarks as body shaming. In her defense, Mohamed argued, “It was just a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It is not body shaming. It is about the fitness of a sportsperson. I always believe a sports person has to be fit. So, I felt he is a bit overweight, so I tweeted on that. I am being attacked for no reason.”
She further elaborated on her criticism of Rohit, stating, “Didn’t he move KL Rahul to bat at number 3 at the MCG Test & put himself at number 1 which backfired totally! Wasn’t that a selfish move? Because of that, Shubam Gill was out of the XI.”
She also went on to say, “I compared him to other captains like Dhoni, Ganguly, Dravid, Tendulkar, Kapil Dev, and Virat. I have the right to express my opinion. What’s wrong in saying it?”
Despite the controversy, Mohamed remains adamant that she was simply expressing her views on what she considers fitness and leadership issues, asserting her right to speak freely in India’s democracy.
This clash of opinions between Mohamed’s past comments on Kohli and her recent remarks on Rohit Sharma highlights the ongoing discussions around leadership, fitness, and the influence of cricketers in Indian public life.
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