Shama Mohamed Praises Rohit Sharma After 'Fat-Shaming' Row, BJP Takes Digs At Congress

After facing criticism for 'body-shaming' Team India captain Rohit Sharma, Congress leader Shama Mohamed praised his leadership in India's Champions Trophy win.

Rohit Sharma poses with ICC Champions Trophy on Sunday | File photo of Congress leader Shama Mohamed

Source : X/@ICC | PTI

Congress leader Shama Mohamed, who had earlier sparked controversy for allegedly fat-shaming Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, has now praised his leadership following India's victory in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 final against New Zealand.  

Shama Mohamed, in a post on X, lauded Rohit Sharma for leading from the front with a brilliant knock that set the tone for India's triumph. "Congratulations to Team India for their stupendous performance in winning the Champions Trophy 2025! Hats off to Captain Rohit Sharma who led from the front with a brilliant 76, setting the tone for victory. Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul played crucial knocks, steering India to glory! A triumph to remember!" she wrote.  

Congratulations to #TeamIndia for their stupendous performance in winning the #ChampionsTrophy2025! 🇮🇳🏆

Hats off to Captain @ImRo45 who led from the front with a brilliant 76, setting the tone for victory. @ShreyasIyer15 and @klrahul played crucial knocks, steering India to…

— Dr. Shama Mohamed (@drshamamohd) March 9, 2025

India clinched their third Champions Trophy title with a four-wicket win over New Zealand at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Rohit Sharma top-scored with 76, while Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul, and Hardik Pandya made significant contributions to the victory.  

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hailed Rohit Sharma's captaincy and took a swipe at the Congress over the body-shaming controversy. In a cryptic post on X, the BJP wrote, “Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy, Team India wins T20 World Cup 2024…Team India wins #ChampionsTrophy 2025. 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬…”  

Under Rohit Sharma’s captaincy:

- Team India wins T20 World Cup 2024
- Team India wins #ChampionsTrophy 2025

𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐞, 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬… pic.twitter.com/uamUVTxmX2

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 9, 2025

In another post, the party shared a video of a popular scene from actor Allu Arjun starrer 'Pushpa: The Rise' and captioned it as, “𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬!”

𝐑𝐨𝐡𝐢𝐭 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐚’𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬!#ChampionsTrophy2025 #RohitSharma pic.twitter.com/CzclJlb8VF

— BJP (@BJP4India) March 9, 2025

Meanwhile, the Congress also congratulated Team India on their victory. In a post on X, the party wrote, “CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS! 🇮🇳 This isn’t just a trophy — it’s the heartbeat of a billion dreams, the roar of a united nation, and the spirit of every Indian who dared to believe. HISTORY MADE, GLORY CLAIMED! 🏆💙”  

CHAMPION OF CHAMPIONS! 🇮🇳

This isn’t just a trophy — it’s the heartbeat of a billion dreams, the roar of a united nation, and the spirit of every Indian who dared to believe.

HISTORY MADE, GLORY CLAIMED! 🏆💙

#ChampionsTrophy #TeamIndia #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/v0Mg5wik0u

— Congress (@INCIndia) March 9, 2025

'Rohit Sharma Is Fat For A Sportsman': When Shama Mohamed Drew Flak For 'Fat-Shaming'

Shama Mohamed had previously criticised Rohit Sharma, stating on social media, “Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman. Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had.” Her remarks drew sharp criticism from both cricket fans and political leaders.  

The controversy escalated, prompting the Congress leadership to intervene. Senior Congress leader Pawan Khera clarified, “Dr Shama Mohamed’s remarks do not reflect the party's position. She has been asked to delete the posts and exercise more caution in the future.”  

Speaking to news agency ANI, Shama Mohamed had dismissed the fat shaming charge leveled at her and said, “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...”

#WATCH | On her comment on Indian Cricket team captain Rohit Sharma, Congress leader Shama Mohammed says, "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… pic.twitter.com/OBiLk84Mjh

— ANI (@ANI) March 3, 2025

BJP and NCP-SP leaders criticised the Congress leader with Delhi Forest and Environment Minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa calling her comments "shameless."