Indian cricket captain Rohit Sharma’s recent poor form has been attracting criticism despite the team doing well under him. But when a Congress spokesperson took a dig at his girth, the fat was truly in the fire.

The Congress made Shama Mohamed — a trained dentist and former journalist — delete her X post but couldn't avert a rejoinder from a senior official of the country’s cricket board and a political jibe from the BJP.

“@ImRo45 is fat for a sportsman! Need to lose weight! And of course the most unimpressive Captain India has ever had!” Shama had posted on X on Sunday, tagging Rohit.

Although chastised by her party, she stood her ground on TV, denying she had body-shamed Rohit and invoking the freedom of speech.

It seemed odd, though, that her target was not Rohit’s questionable batting form but his captaincy — months after he had led India to the T20 World Cup title and hours before India was poised to play Australia in a Champions Trophy semifinal.

Rohit isn’t the first modern cricketer to be pilloried for his portliness, with peers like Arjuna Ranatunga, Inzamam-ul-Haque and Shane Warne facing similar scrutiny in less politically correct times.

However, in a country where top cricketers command legions of fans, Shama’s comments faced a furious backlash.

Journalist turned BJP spokesman Pradeep Bhandari tweeted: “Shame on Congress! Now they are going after the Indian Cricket Captain! Do they expect Rahul Gandhi to now play cricket after failing in Indian politics!”

The Congress eventually stepped in.

“Dr. Shama Mohammed, National Spokesperson of the Indian National Congress, made certain remarks about a cricketing legend that do not reflect the party's position,” the chairman of the party’s media department, Pawan Khera, posted on X on Monday.

“She has been asked to delete the concerned social media posts from X and has been advised to exercise greater caution in the future. The Indian National Congress holds the contributions of sporting icons in the highest regard and does not endorse any statements that undermine their legacy.”

Although she complied, Shama told ANI: "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. When I compared him with previous captains, I put in a statement. I have the right. What is wrong in saying? It is a democracy..."

Devajit Saikia, Assam advocate-general and a Board of Control for Cricket in India secretary, told reporters: “It's very unfortunate… this kind of remarks come from such a person who is on a responsible post to our captain… when India is playing an ICC tournament and the team is all set to play semifinal.”

Shama, however, found support from veteran Trinamool MP Saugata Roy. “The Congress leader is right…. He (Rohit) scored one century, but other than that, he gets out after scoring 2, 3, 10 runs,” Roy told reporters.

Roy added: “He shouldn’t be in the team. India wins because the other players play well, but the captain doesn’tcontribute much.”

Union minister Mansukh Mandaviya said: “(The) Congress and (the) TMC should leave sportspersons alone as they are fully capable of handling their professional lives.”

He added: “Remarks made by leaders from these parties, indulging in body shaming and questioning an athlete’s place in the team, are not only deeply shameful but also outright pathetic.

“Such comments undermine the hard work and sacrifices that our sportspersons make to represent the country on the global stage.”

When a Pakistani journalist countered Shama, she replied to him saying: “What is so world class about him (Rohit) 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.”