Former Indian cricket team player Yograj Singh lashed out at Shama Mohamed for her controversial remark on India captain Rohit Sharma. Yograj didn’t mince his words in his reaction to Mohamed’s remark on the Indian skipper. He claimed that if he were the prime minister of this country, he would have asked her to “pack her bags and leave the country.”
Mohamed had criticised Rohit’s fitness and said the Indian skipper needs to “lose weight.” She went on to call the seasoned opener “fat” for a sportsman and the country’s “most unimpressive captain”.
Her remarks came in the aftermath of Rohit’s dismissal on 15 (17) during India’s final group stage match against New Zealand for the Champions Trophy on Sunday. On the eve of India’s semi-final clash against Australia in the Champions Trophy, her comment triggered outrage and has drawn widespread criticism across the nation.
“I only want to say one thing, jiska kaam usee ko saaje aur kare to danda baaje (the work only suits those to whom it belongs; if done by anyone else, it is ruined). Indian cricketers, people and the land are more dear to me than my own life. If someone in the political system makes such a statement about a player who has brought pride to our nation, that person should be ashamed,” Yograj, father of Yuvraj Singh, told ANI.
“They have no right to stay in our nation. Cricket is our religion; we lost against New Zealand and Australia, and a lot of things were said about Rohit and Virat. We stood up for them. I feel so sad. These things happen in Pakistan. Their former star player said, ‘Who will eat so many bananas?’ (Taking a jibe at Wasim Akram). Action should be taken. This should not be tolerated. If I were the prime minister, I would have said, pack your bags and leave the country,” he added.
After the immense backlash, Mohamed clarified her statement while speaking to ANI and said, “It was a generic tweet about the fitness of a sportsperson. It was not body-shaming. I always believed a sports person 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 that? It is a democracy.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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