Former wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer has lashed out at the Indian selection committee before pointing out skipper Virat Kohli’s influence in picking the team.

Terming the MSK Prasad-led selection panel as “Mickey Mouse”, Farokh further opined that the players of better stature should be a part of this high-profile committee.

"We have got a Mickey Mouse selection committee. Virat Kohli has a major impact (in the process) which is very good. But how are the selectors qualified? Between them, have they played about 10-12 Test matches,” he told TOI.

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Farokh, who played 46 Tests for India from 1961 to 1975, then went on to say that he didn’t even recognize one of the selectors during the World Cup in England.

The 82-year-old also revealed that the selection panel members were getting Anushka Sharma (Kohli’s wife) cups of tea during the mega event.

“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. All they were doing was getting Anushka Sharma cups of tea. I feel people with the stature of Dilip Vengsarkar should be in the selection committee.”

Farokh Engineer was also not satisfied with the handling of young wicketkeeper batsman Rishabh Pant, who was drafted into India’s World Cup squad after Shikhar Dhawan’s injury.

"They shouldn’t have dropped him (from the ODI team). They should have picked him ahead of Dinesh Karthik (for the World Cup) for him to get as much experience with MS Dhoni," he concluded.