Backing India captain Rohit Sharma, who was subjected to fat-shaming, cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar on Tuesday said that slim guys are for modelling and in cricket, mental strength is what matters, not physical size.
Addressing the unnecessary criticisms directed at India skipper in the middle of Champions Trophy by a politician, Gavaskar reminded how Mumbai's big-hitting Sarfaraz Khan also faced body shaming, but it didn’t affect his performance at all.
"I have always said, if you want only slim guys, then you should go to a modelling competition and pick all the models. It's not about that," Gavaskar told India Today.
"It's about how well you can play cricket. We talked about Sarfaraz Khan, he was vilified for a long time because he was on the heavier side. But if he scores 150 for India in a Test match and follows it up with another two or three fifty-plus scores, then what's the issue?"
"I don't think size has anything to do with it. It's your mental strength —whether you can last the distance—that's the most important thing. Bat well, bat for long, and score runs."
Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed called Rohit "fat for a sportsman" and described him as "the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had."
However, she faced backlash on social media for her unwarranted comment and was forced to delete her post from the 'X'.
Congress also distanced itself from Shama's comment and requested her to delete the post.
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