'These things happen in Pakistan, if I were PM...': Yograj doesn't mince words, lambasts body shaming of Rohit Sharma

Yograj Singh, the father of Yuvraj Singh, called out Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed for 'body shaming' Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma. Shama Mohamed landed in hot soup after she called the 37-year-old "fat" during the ICC Men's Champions Trophy 2025 Group A fixture between India and New Zealand in Dubai. She even said that the 37-year-old needs to shed some kilos.

In a now-deleted post, Shama Mohamed called Rohit Sharma the "most unimpressive captain India has ever had!" She also stated that Rohit is lucky to be the leader of this Indian lineup.

The Congress might have stepped back, saying the comments do not endorse the party's views, but Shama Mohamed continues to receive flak on social media for disrespecting a captain who ended the ICC trophy title drought by winning the T20 World Cup 2024 for India.

Fans of Rohit Sharma are also reminding Shama Mohamed of how India have been undefeated in the Champions Trophy so far. Yograj Singh said that sportspersons in the country mean more to him than his own life; hence, he would not tolerate disrespect.

"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 Singh told news agency 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," he added.

'These things happen in Pakistan'

Yograj Singh further said unnecessary criticism happens in Pakistan, citing Wasim Akram's comment about players in the current setup eating too many bananas.

For the uninitiated, Wasim Akram made this comment after Pakistan crashed out of the ICC Men's Champions Trophy. Yograj Singh further said that if he was the Prime Minister of India, he would not tolerate any criticism of sportspersons, and would ask the guilty party to leave the country and pack their bags.

"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," said Yograj.

"If I were the prime minister, I would have said, Pack your bags and leave the country," he added.

Earlier on Monday, Shama Mohamed had justified her comments on Rohit Sharma. "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," she said, as per Times of India.