Diana Edulji hits out at 'friend' Farokh Engineer, says surprised by his poor cricket knowledge

Former India captain and CoA member Diana Edulji on Friday took offence to the "foolish" comment made by Farokh Engineer targetting her, saying the 81-year-old's poor cricket knowledge surprised her.

Speaking to a newspaper, Engineer, who played 46 Tests and five ODIs for India, had ridiculed the credentials of India's five-member selection panel led by MSK Prasad.

He had also called Committee of Administrators' 33-month tenure at the BCCI a "waste of time", saying the three-member panel had no idea about the game though Edulji had played "little cricket".

"He is an old friend. For someone whom I have known for years, I am surprised that his knowledge of cricket is so poor. I wish he had thought a bit before making such a foolish statement. I don't want to say further because I respect his cricket and he should respect the cricket that I have played," Edulji, who played 20 Tests and 34 ODIs.

"Whether it is women's cricket or men's cricket, one should not discriminate between the two," said the 63-year-old.

Engineer had caused a massive controversy by claiming that actor Anushka Sharma, wife of India captain Virat Kohli, sat with the selectors and was served tea by one of them during the World Cup this year.

"He should not get personal. A selector is a selector whether he has played one Test or 100. I would just advise him that in the twilight zone of his life he should learn to watch his words and not put his foot in his mouth. There is not much difference between numbers of international games we both have played," added Edulji.

Both Edulji and Shantha Rangaswamy are considered among the pioneers of women's cricket in the country.