Congress was left red-faced after its National Spokesperson Shama Mohamed stirred controversy with her remarks on Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma, calling him “fat for a sportsperson” and the “most unimpressive” captain in India’s history. As the post triggered widespread backlash, the party quickly intervened, asking her to delete it. The post was later taken down.

“Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course, the most unimpressive captain India has ever had!” her now-deleted post read.

Her comments drew immediate backlash, particularly from BJP leaders and cricket fans. Responding to a user who called Sharma a “world-class player,” Mohamed dismissed the claim, questioning his legacy compared to Indian cricketing greats like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Kapil Dev.

“What is so world-class about him when compared to his predecessors? He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the captain of India,” she wrote.

The BJP swiftly condemned Mohamed’s remarks, accusing Congress of “body-shaming” and disrespecting a World Cup winner. BJP leader Radhika Khera, who broke ties with the Congress and joined the BJP, accused her former party of having “humiliated athletes for decades”.

“This is the same Congress that humiliated athletes for decades, denied them recognition, and now dares to mock a cricketing legend? The party that thrives on nepotism is lecturing a self-made champion?” Khera said.

Radhika Khera criticised Rahul Gandhi, stating that while Rohit Sharma led India to a World Cup victory, the Congress leader struggled to manage his own party without leading it into turmoil. She also took a dig at Jairam Ramesh, urging him to focus on the Congress party’s diminishing relevance, credibility, and electoral standing instead of targeting a cricketer who has brought glory to India.

“Congress should worry about its own sinking dynast before taking cheap shots at India’s pride!” she said.

Shama Mohamed defended her remark, stating that her tweet was a general observation about an athlete’s fitness rather than an instance of body-shaming. “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,” she said, pushing back against criticism.

Congress distanced itself from Shama Mohamed’s remark, saying that the party “holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard”. Congress leader Pawan Khera said the party had asked Shama Mohamed to delete her post and “advised her to exercise greater caution in the future”.

“The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy,” Pawan Khera said.

Notably, India secured a commanding 44-run victory over New Zealand in their final group-stage clash of the 2025 Champions Trophy. Despite captain Rohit Sharma falling early, India posted a competitive total of 249 in their allotted 50 overs. The bowling attack, spearheaded by Varun Chakaravarthy, delivered a stellar performance, dismantling the Kiwi batting lineup and bundling them out for 205.

With their win, India marched into the semi-finals, where they will take on Australia in a high-stakes showdown on March 4. (India Today)

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India captain Rohit Sharma was reportedly slapped with multiple traffic fines for reckless driving on the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. 

According to Pune Mirror, Rohit, who was on his way to Pune to join the rest of the Indian cricketers ahead of the Bangladesh match in World Cup 2023, was issued three online traffic fines for speeding.

The report claimed that Rohit was driving at exceedingly high speeds of 200 km/h and his vehicle – a Lamborghini – even touched speeds of 215 km/h, which raised alarm bells among traffic officials. The report does not mention the exact date Rohit was caught speeding but it is likely to be between Monday and Tuesday.

Rohit landed in Pune with the other Indian squad members on Sunday. It is possible that the Indian captain decided to spend a day with his family in Mumbai as Monday was a rest day for all the Indian cricketers. They returned to practice only on Tuesday evening for their World Cup match at the MCA Stadium on Thursday.

Rohit has been in fine form in this World Cup. He jumped five places to sixth in the ICC ODI batters’ ranking on the back of his imperious form in the ongoing World Cup at home.

Rohit amassed 131 runs against Afghanistan and then backed it up with an imperious 86 from 63 balls against arch-rivals Pakistan to be one of the in-form batters in the showpiece.

The attacking right-hander would look to continue the same against Bangladesh, who have beaten India three times in the last four ODIs — twice in a bilateral series in December 2022 and then in the Asia Cup Super Four match recently.

In this tournament, the underdogs have already shown how to slay the giants. If in doubt, check with England and South Africa about their feelings after their shock losses to Afghanistan and the Netherlands respectively.

India would certainly want to avoid that banana peel and keep their good run intact in this World Cup.

If India wins this match against Bangladesh, they will make it four out of four and have a good chance of reclaiming the top spot which New Zealand currently occupies with 8 points. (Hindustan Times)

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