Former India wicket-keeper batsman Farokh Engineer launched a no-holds-barred attack on the current Indian selection committee led by another former India ‘keeper batsman MSK Prasad. Engineer went to the extent of terming Prasad and Co. as ‘mickey mouse selection committee’.
“We have got a Mickey Mouse selection committee,” Engineer told Times of India. Engineer was in Pune to visit former India cricketer Dilip Vengsarkar’s cricket academy. Engineer, who represented India in 46 Tests and 5 ODIs between 1961 and 1976, questioned the qualification of the selectors, who he believed lacked enough international experience.
The 81-year-old went on to claim that the selectors were only busy tending to the needs of India skipper Virat Kohli’s wife during the World Cup in the summer in England.
“All they were doing was getting Anushka Sharma cups of tea,” said Engineer.
“How are the selectors even qualified? Between them, have they played about ten or twelve Test matches. I didn’t even know one of the selectors during the World Cup and I asked him ‘who the hell he was’, because he was wearing the India blazer and he said he was one of the selectors,” added the 81-year-old.
The current Indian selection committee is headed by MSK Prasad (6 Tests, 17 ODIs) while former India cricketers Devang Gandhi (4 Tests, 3 ODIs), Sarandeep Singh (3 Tests, 5 ODIs), Jatin Paranjpe (4 ODIs), and Gagan Khoda (2 ODIs) are the other four members.
Engineer further added, “I feel people with the stature of Dilip Vengsarkar should be in the selection committee.”
The former wicketkeeper who represented India in 46 Tests and 5 ODIs between 1961 and 1976, also took a dig at Committee of Administrators (CoA), whose 33-month reign reign came to end with Sourav Ganguly’s appointment as the new BCCI president.
“CoA, in my opinion, were a complete waste of time. I read the other day that each one of them has pocketed Rs 3.5 crore. It’s criminal. Plus, I believe they got paid thousands and thousands for attending meetings and all, I feel they were on a honeymoon. The honeymoon is over.”
