"Putting a finger towards anyone is very easy" - Former teammate lashes out at Congress leader for body shaming Rohit Sharma
Former Indian off-spinner Harbhajan Singh defended skipper Rohit Sharma following criticisms of his fitness from Congress spokesperson Shama Mohamed earlier in the week. Mohamed called Rohit 'Unfit' and 'Unimpressive as captain' in a now-deleted X post, resulting in a massive outpour.
Rohit has led India on an unbeaten run in the ongoing 2025 Champions Trophy, where they will take on New Zealand in the final in Dubai on Sunday, March 9. The 37-year-old also captained the side that won the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA, breaking an 11-year ICC title drought.
Talking about the criticisms of Rohit in a conversation with India Today, Harbhajan said:
"Well, there will be people who’ll keep on talking about his fitness, captaincy skills. But I just asked a very simple question to that lady who made this remark about Rohit Sharma’s fitness, whether she’s a part of BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) or any other organization where she understands the rule and also the fitness. What are her own achievements when it comes to sports? So, putting a finger towards anyone is very easy but at the same time, the thumb is facing towards you, so just check yourself too."
He added:
"It’s very hard for people to actually understand how it is to be playing for India and the kind of pressure a player goes through only that player knows. He’s got the responsibility to take the team forward, but he also needs to perform as a player. Rohit Sharma is a very hardworking guy, he’s a selfless guy. He’s someone who’s a leader, who leads from the front, who always puts the team’s interest first rather than himself. Good to have a leader like him, a player like him."
Should India win the Champions Trophy final against New Zealand, Rohit will join MS Dhoni as the only Indian captain to win multiple ICC titles. With the semifinal victory over Australia, Rohit already became the only captain in cricket history to reach the final of all four ICC events - ODI and T20 World Cups, Champions Trophy, and World Test Championship (WTC).
"Must get credit for that for putting everyone together in the field" - Harbhajan Singh
Harbhajan Singh credited Rohit Sharma for getting everyone in the Indian team on the same page during his captaincy stint. The 37-year-old boasts incredible captaincy numbers across formats, winning 102 out of his 141 matches with only 33 losses.
“I respect those people who respect the fact that the team comes first rather than. I always say, it’s now about ‘me’, it’s about we. How we can play together and win the cup. The captain’s responsibility is to keep everyone on one page. Rohit Sharma must get credit for that for putting everyone together in the field, on one page with one mission to win the cup," said Harbhajam.
Despite his outstanding captaincy, Rohit has struggled with the bat in the ongoing Champions Trophy. He is still to score a half-century in four innings, with a sub-par average of 26 and a highest score of 41.