Former India wicket-keeper Farokh Engineer has termed the present BCCI senior selection committee as spineless. The dashing wicketkeeper-batsman of the 1960s and 1970s has called them ‘a Mickey Mouse selection committee’ and has stated that they don’t deserve to be in their positions.
In an interview to a national daily, Engineer has alleged that during a 2019 World Cup game, he saw one of the selectors serving cups of tea to Virat Kohli’s wife Anushka Sharma.
“Frankly speaking I don’t know one of them. I asked him who the hell was he as he was wearing the India blazer during a World Cup game. He told me he was one of the selectors. All they were doing was getting Anushka Sharma cups of tea during the match,” Engineer has been quoted as saying.
The former India player has gone on to say that people of the stature of Dilip Vengsarkar should be in the selection panel. Engineer has also termed the MSK-led selection panel with no appropriate qualification for the job. “How many, probably 10-12 Tests they have played among themselves,” Farokh Engineer pointed out. “Virat Kohli has a major impact in the selection process, which no doubt is very good. But then do the selectors have the proper qualification to put forward their views,” Engineer added.
It should be stated here that the five-member selection committee comprises of Prasad, Devang Gandhi, Sharandeep Singh, Jatin Paranjpe and Gagan Khoda. Of these only Prasad and Gandhi have played Test cricket and none of the five has ever been a part of a World Cup team. Hence it is quite natural that Kohli to adopt a dominant role during selection meetings. After all he is better qualified than all the selectors.
Agencies