Former England captain Nasser Hussain has said that he would “absolutely” do the infamous three-finger celebration he performed after he reached his only ODI hundred against India in 2002.

Preceding that game, Hussain possessed had an unspectacular ODI average of 30.15 accompanied by a strike-rate of 65.80, prompting an increase in scrutiny on his suitability to the role of England’s number three batsman in ODI cricket. Speaking to Ian Ward on the Sky Sports Cricket YouTube channel, Hussain explained that the pressure he was under going into that game contributed to his celebration.

“I was an average white-ball cricketer,” said Hussain. “For about a year, they had gone on – [Bob] Willis, [Ian] Botham and [Jonathan] Agnew on the radio – every time I put on the TV or the radio, ‘Hussain shouldn’t be batting at three, Hussain shouldn’t be batting at three, Hussain is rubbish at white-ball cricket, he shouldn’t be batting at three’ and it did wind me up. I was obviously very aware that I was under pressure walking out to bat that day.

“I remember getting to 30 off about 50 deliveries on a very good pitch and I thought ‘Nass for once, just stay in, it’ll get easier, do what you’re supposed to do, you’ve used up a lot of deliveries, get a hundred. And if you do get a hundred, turn around to those three in the commentary box and give three fingers up to them.’

“I got to 99 and whoever it was bowled me one outside off and I ran it down to third man – I was batting at the Nursery End with Freddie Flintoff – and I ran towards the pavilion and thought, ‘Shall I? Shall I not?’ and it was what made me what I was. I was a bit feisty – I ticked at the best of times – and I just turned to the press box and stuck three fingers pointing to the three on the back of my shirt and Duncan [England coach at the time Duncan Fletcher] said, ‘Crikey, I thought you stuck two fingers up to the press box!’

“I remember someone said, one of the journos or maybe an ex-cricketer, ‘I bet he’ll regret doing that.’ I don’t actually. If someone asked me now, ‘If you’re in that position again, would you do it again?’ Absolutely.”