On March 2, Rohit Sharma-led India continued their unbeaten run in Dubai and beat New Zealand by 44 runs to reach the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 semifinals unscathed. However, controversy took centrestage on social media as Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed called Indian captain 'fat' and the 'most unimpressive' leader she has ever seen in Indian cricket.
"- @ImRo45 is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And ofcourse the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!" she wrote on X.
Pakistan's sports journalist called Rohit a 'world class performer' and labelled her tweet as 'harsh'. Shama compared Rohit to his predecessors and called the 37-year-old a mediocre captain and player.
"What is so world class about him when compared to his predecessors like Ganguly, Tendulkar, Dravid, Dhoni, Kohli , Kapil dev, Shastri & the rest! He is a mediocre captain as well as a mediocre player who got lucky to be the Captain of India," she replied.
India Today's consulting editor Rajdeep Sardesai, son of legendary Indian batter Dilip Sardesai, wondered where the bizarre remark came from. Shama then questioned Rohit's move to drop Shubman Gill from MCG Test and push KL Rahul to no.3. She also criticised the T20 World Cup 2024-winning captain for losing the ODI World Cup 2023 final to Australia in Ahmedabad.
"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 wrote.
"Didn't we lose the last World Cup which took place in Ahmedabad? I have compared him to our previous captains."
Poonawalla's dig at Shama
Shama faced backlash from BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. He pointed out Congress' unimpressive performance in the elections in past few years.
“I guess 6 ducks in Delhi and 90 election losses is impressive but winning the T20 World Cup isn’t! Rohit has a brilliant track record as captain by the way," Poonawalla said.
“While opposing India, its institutions, and its armed forces – while repeatedly saying they are against the Indian state – Congress has now turned against the Indian team as well," he added.
Rohit's captaincy record across formats
Rohit has captained India in 54 ODIs. India have won 40, lost 12, one game was tied whereas one ended in no result. His win percentage of 74.07 is higher than any Indian captain in ODI cricket history who has led in at least 10 games.
Rohit has led India in 62 T20Is. India won 50 and lost 12 games under his captaincy. His win percentage of 79.03 is higher than any Indian T20I captain who has led in five or more games. He retired from the format after helping India win the T20 World Cup after 17 years.
Rohit's captaincy record in Tests is not that impressive, especially considering the series loss at home to New Zealand. Under his captaincy, India have played 24 Tests, won 12, lost nine whereas three ended in a draw.
In addition, he led Mumbai Indians (MI) to five Indian Premier League (IPL) titles.
Rohit-led India will now face Australia in the Champions Trophy 2025 semifinal on March 4.
