‘Rohit Sharma has got 3 double hundreds in ODI, the guy can smash it’ - Nasser Hussain brushes off Michael Atherton's 'fear' question

Rohit Sharma-led team India crashed out of the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup 2022 in the semi-final stage to England. Following their abrupt exit, the Men in Blue have been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism.

Skipper Rohit Sharma has himself received a lot of flak for his underwhelming performances throughout the tournament. Unable to construct the big innings on a consistent basis in the event, many former cricketers have raised eyebrows on Rohit’s performance over not playing ‘freely’.

Former England captain Nasser Hussain was asked by his compatriot and former skipper Michael Atherton if the fear of losing his spot has crept into Rohit Sharma's mind thereby not allowing him to play freely.

"You talk about the Morgan impact on England and rightly so. But do you think it's harder in India for two reasons, one is the number of cricketers they have so obviously the competition is greater? You kind of feel, if you lose your place and somebody comes in, you might not get your spot back again. And also, the differential between the match fees paid by BCCI and sponsorship arrangements that these big names like Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul, there's a huge differential, much bigger than England. Do you think these two factors make it more difficult for India?" asked Atherton during a discussion on Sky Sports.

Hussain, in his brilliant response, cited Rohit Sharma’s three double hundreds in the 50-over format and added that he must not be worried about losing his spot while playing fearless cricket.

"I think you are complicating things. I wouldn't be worried if they weren't incredibly talented cricketers. You're not talking about someone who is on the edge of the seat for a place in the side. You're talking about Rohit Sharma, who has got three double hundreds in ODI cricket, so the guy can smash it. You're talking about KL Rahul when you do see him bat. I think it's the fear," Hussain responded.