The England and Wales Cricket Board was earlier criticized by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar for their decision to “retire” the Pataudi Trophy.
According to a report in bbc.com, the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy will be the name of the England vs India Test series, which begins on June 20. The legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar has amassed 15,921 runs in 200 Test matches between 1989 and 2013, making him the best run scorer in Test history. With 704 Test wickets in 188 games, James Anderson holds the record for most wickets taken by England in history. Tendulkar retired in 2013, while Anderson ended his career in 2024.
The India-England bilateral Test series played in England in 2007 was known as the Pataudi Trophy. The inaugural Pataudi Trophy was given out in 2007 to mark the 75th anniversary of the first India vs England Test match. Named after a previous head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the Anthony de Mello Trophy is awarded for the India vs England Test series played in India.
The England and Wales Cricket Board was earlier criticized by former India captain Sunil Gavaskar for their decision to “retire” the Pataudi Trophy.
“The recent news that the ECB is going to retire the Pataudi Trophy, given to the winners of the Test series between England and India in England, is disturbing indeed. This is the first time one has heard of a trophy named after individual players being retired, though the decision is entirely the ECB’s, and the BCCI may well have been informed. It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India,” Gavaskar wrote in a column for Sportstar.
“There may well be a new trophy named after more recent players, and here’s hoping that if an Indian player has been approached, he will have the good sense to politely decline – not only out of respect for two former India captains but also to avoid the same fate of having a trophy named after him retired after he is gone. The ECB is fully entitled to name the trophy after one of their own players, but I, along with loads of Indian cricket supporters, fervently hope that any other Indian cricketer will have the smarts to decline, lest history repeats itself as it has with the Pataudi Trophy.”
The actress and late Tiger Pataudi’s wife, Sharmila Tagore, was also affected by the decision to “retire” the Pataudi Trophy. “I haven’t heard from them, but the ECB has sent a letter to Saif that they are retiring the trophy,” Sharmila told HT a few months ago. “If the BCCI wants to or does not want to remember Tiger’s legacy, it is for them to decide.”
