'I don’t take Rohit Sharma’s statement seriously' - Mohammad Amir responds to batter's controversial comment from 2016

Pakistan left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir has spoken out about the statements made about him by Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma back in 2016. Six years down the line, Amir has opened up about the incident and said that he does not take the Indian senior player’s comment seriously.

In that year’s Asia Cup match between India and Pakistan, the Men in Blue merely required 84 runs to win. Amir’s crushing spell, on the other hand, put India in serious danger. Amir placed the ball perfectly and was successfully able to dismiss Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, and Suresh Raina in order to put India in a troublesome situation.

“Stop talking about him already. He isn’t the only bowler, Pakistan has five other bowlers who are doing well for them. 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,” Sharma had said in 2016.

Responding to Sharma’s comments, Amir, as per ASports, stated:

“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. 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.”

No doubt Rohit Sharma is a world-class batsman: Mohammad Amir

Amir had showcased a similar action during the 2017 Champions Trophy when he dismissed India’s key batters Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan as well as Rohit Sharma. Indian top-order was demolished very quickly as the chase began, courtesy of Amir. Even after the controversial statement from Rohit’s end, the 30-year-old feels that the Indian skipper 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,” he added.