"I don’t take Rohit Sharma’s statement seriously" - Mohammad Amir replies to star opener's bold remark back in 2016
Former Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has opened up to a local media channel about the comments that Indian star Rohit Sharma made about him back in 2016.
On the eve of that match in Kolkata, Rohit had insisted that the speedster needed to show consistency if he wanted to be called a world-class bowler.
The current India captain remarked at the time:
“Stop talking about him already. He isn’t the only bowler, Pakistan have five other bowlers who are doing well for them."
He added:
"There is just so much hype around him, I don’t think it is right to give him too much hype after one match. He is good but he needs to prove it over and over again. Now people are comparing him to Wasim Akram and all that. He is just a normal bowler, on that given day if he is good, he is good. It is not as if he turns up and blows everyone away."
During the Asia Cup game between India and Pakistan that year, the Men in Blue needed 84 runs to win. However, Amir's thunderous spell had India in deep trouble. The left-arm pacer swung the ball viciously and picked up the wickets of Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Suresh Raina.
Mohammad Amir on Fire against India
Asia Cup 2016 https://t.co/PYvGVfAVqL
Reacting to Rohit's comments from six years ago, Mohammad Amir was quoted as saying by ASports:
"I don’t take Rohit Sharma’s statement seriously. Everyone has his own opinion and it is impossible that everyone regards me as a world-class bowler."
Amir was quite professional, saying it was almost impossible to please everyone:
"There is nothing to be felt bad about it, and as a professional, we should not take such things in a negative way. You cannot be everyone’s favorite."
Rohit Sharma 👆
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#OnThisDay in 2017, Mohammad Amir broke India's back with a triple strike. Is his performance in the Champions Trophy final against India the best ever by an Asian bowler in an ICC final?
https://t.co/YXYa46YqFr
I will still call Rohit Sharma a world-class player: Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir once again had the better of Rohit Sharma when the two teams met in the final of the 2017 Champions Trophy. Chasing a mammoth total, India needed their top trio of Rohit, Shikhar Dhawan, and Virat Kohli to fire. However, Amir bowled what was arguably the spell of the tournament to dismiss all three, including Rohit again for a duck, to help Pakistan win the title.
Yet, he feels Rohit is a world-class batter:
"No doubt he is a world-class batsman. I bowled well every time I faced Rohit and he struggled while facing me, still, I will call him a world-class player.”
Amir had announced retirement after a fallout with the former Pakistan think-tank. With new management in place, it will be interesting to see if the 30-year-old comes out of retirement.