'Persons with zero knowledge give sermons': Harbhajan demands 'respect' for players amid Rohit Sharma fat-shaming row
Harbhajan Singh said that it hurts when those “who have zero knowledge of the game give sermons”.
Spin great Harbhajan Singh has joined the wave of support that his longtime former teammate and India captain Rohit Sharma has received after the latter was called “fat for a sportsperson" and “the most unimpressive captain India has ever had” by Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed. Harbhajan said that it hurts when those who have “zero knowledge of the game give sermons”.
“The controversy on fitness of @ImRo45 was unfortunate and uncalled for. He is an outstanding player and an exceptional leader who has made immense contributions to Indian cricket. Sportspersons are also human beings with emotion and sentiment. It indeed hurts when persons who have zero knowledge of the game give sermons. Respect the game and respct the players (sic.),” said Harbhajan in his post on X.
Earlier, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia also spoke up for Rohit. "It's very unfortunate this kind of remarks come from such a person who is on a responsible post to our captain, on a meanwhile time when India is playing an ICC tournament and the team is all set to play Semi final," said Saikia on ANI. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya slammed the comments from Mohamed as "outright pathetic".
What Shama Mohamed had said
Mohamed said in the post that Rohit is the "most unimpressive captain India has ever had. "Rohit Sharma is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!" she said.
In another post, she compared Sharma to former captains of the Indian cricket team and called him a “mediocre” player and captain. “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 said.
