New Delhi: Team India's star batter Rohit Sharma's calling Pakistan's sensational speedster Mohammad Amir a 'normal bowler' back in 2016 had gone viral, evoking a lot of reactions from cricket fraternity. Rohit had made this comment before the 2016 T20 World Cup ahead of the high-octane India-Pakistan clash at iconic Eden Gardens. Rohit's comment on Amir back then had stirred a storm as the Pakistani speedster had established himself as a lethal pacer in the cricket world.
Rohit, in a press conference before 2016 T20 World Cup, had suggested that it is too early to compare Mohammad Amir to the likes of Wasim Akram.
"Stop talking about him already. He isn’t the only bowler, Pakistan have 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," said Rohit in a presser.
Reacting to Rohit's statement for the first time, Amir has now said that he didn't take his statement seriously.
"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 favourite. No doubt he is a world-class batsman. I bowled well every time I have faced Rohit and he struggled while facing me, still I will call him a world-class player," Amir was quoted saying on a news channel by ASports.