'I played 20 Tests, that is not little cricket' - Diana Edulji hits back at Farokh Engineer’s snide remark

Farokh Engineer, the former India wicketkeeper is finding himself in trouble whenever he gives a statement in recent times. He has been talking about the Indian selectors, Anushka Sharma and the CoA, giving his honest opinions that have seemed to divide not only the public but also the cricketing community as well. Earlier, he had taken a dig at the selection panel while bringing in the wife of captain Kohli into the mix.

He has said that selectors served tea to Anushka Sharma, wife of captain Virat Kohli during the matches in the 2019 World Cup. He has also called MSK Prasad and his panel weak and currently had taken a dig at the Committee of Administrators (COA), which ran the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), especially at member Diana Edulji. He had brought the credentials of the members into question, while didn’t sit well with member and former captain of women’s cricket team Edulji.

“You passed a snide remark about me,” said Diana Edulji

Engineer was giving the prestigious Dilip Sardesai memorial lecture in Mumbai. It was during this time, that Engineer had questioned the reputation and credentials of the CoA and Edulji had a difference of opinion with the former India cricketer.

“I just heard Farokh saying Parsis don’t have a dirty bone in their body. I would like to know, you spoke a lot about the current selectors, in that statement you passed a snide remark about me. I would like to tell you. You passed a snide remark about me. I would like to tell you that I played 20 Test matches too. That’s not little cricket that I played,” Edulji was quoted as saying by sportstar.com.

Engineer tried to douse the situation by saying he acknowledges her contribution to women’s cricket. But then also said that the three-member committee was a ‘complete waste of time’. He said that he meant what he said. He mentioned that nothing really came out of it and the money spent on them could have been utilized in much better things, like on the development of grassroots cricket and other things.

Diana Edulji defends CoA

“CoA was brought in with a purpose. We covered a lot of ground, we tried to improve the standard of cricket, the infrastructure. The players have benefited a lot and that’s why the performance of the teams — both men and women — has been outstanding. On the whole, our main purpose was to hold the elections and move on. It couldn’t have gone on for ages. I am glad that the term is over and the BCCI is back to its normal ways,” Edulji later told reporters.