‘We were all bloody Indians to them’: Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer opens up on facing racism in England

Former India wicketkeeper-batsman Farokh Engineer opened up about his experience of facing racism in England during his time as a star player. His opinion comes after England fast-bowler Ollie Robinson was recently suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) following an investigation into racist and sexist tweets that he had posted in 2012 and 2013. In the early 1960s, Engineer went to play for England’s County club Lancashire. During his time of play, Engineer, who became a popular figure at the Old Trafford, did have a bit of an encounter and also decided to give it back. “I did face it (racist comments) once or twice when I joined Lancashire. Nothing very personal, but just because I was from India. It had to do with making fun of my accent,” Engineer told The Indian Express from Manchester. Further in his conversation, Engineer stated that he could only prove himself with his bat and gloves. He was also proud to put India on the map as an ambassador for the country. Also, while speaking in a recent podcast with comedian Cyrus Broacha, Engineer talked about how Indian players would face racism in international cricket as well. He revealed how former England captain Geoffrey Boycott used terms such as ‘bloody Indians’. “We were all ‘bloody Indians’ to them till a few years ago,” Engineer spoke on the podcast. He stressed that once the IPL started, it amazes him to see them act so different. Coming back to Robinson’s tweet, the player had made some unpleasant remarks on Twitter years ago. In one of the tweets he wrote, “My new Muslim friend is the bomb;” “I wonder if Asian People put smileys like this ¦) #racist;” and “The guy next to me on the train definitely has Ebola”.