Cricket: England-India Tests to be contested for Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy following series renaming
by Devesh Jaganath | by Cydias Aujard
BCCI and ECB pay tribute to ENG-IND greats
Ahead of the upcoming India tour of England, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) announced that the series would be contested under a single name - The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Previously, Test series between the Three Lions and the Men in Blue were contested under two separate banners: The Pataudi Trophy for matches played in England and the Anthony de Mello Trophy for games in India.
The previous trophies were tributes to Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, former Indian national team captain, and Anthony de Mello, one of the founding figures of the BCCI. Keep an eye on our cricket predictions for updated news ahead of the upcoming series.
The newly named trophy now pays homage to legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar and English paceman James Anderson, two players who are considered among the best of the modern game for their respective nations.
Still widely regarded as the greatest batsman to ever step to the crease, Tendulkar remains the only cricketer to have played 200 Test matches. Before retiring in 2013, he had scored 15,921 Test runs, including 51 centuries.
Anderson, meanwhile, featured in 188 Test matches for England before hanging up his boots in 2024. Known for his fierce pace and wicked swing, Anderson was the first fast bowler to take 700 Test wickets for England.
Upon learning of the Pataudi trophy's renaming, Anderson expressed his gratitude in a media interview, while also revealing his admiration for the "Little Master." He said:
“I still can’t quite believe it. Sachin is someone I looked up to when I was growing up, though I don’t want to do him a disservice with his age. I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So, to have this trophy is a huge honour for me, and I couldn’t be more proud.”
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was supposed to have been unveiled during the World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia last week, but was postponed due to the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy rebranding receives mixed responses
While the majority of the cricketing world was in favour of the previously known Pataudi trophy being rebranded to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, some were not of the same belief, including former India legend Sunil Gavaskar.
Gavaskar suggested that the renaming of the trophy awarded to the winner of the IND-ENG Test Series showed a lack of sensitivity towards Pataudi and the contributions he made to Indian cricket. He said:
“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.”
The legendary Gavaskar also hinted at hopes that future cricketers who are presented with the opportunity of having trophies named after them, consider declining the offer to preserve the legacies of those that came before them.
India will kick off their Test series against England at Headingley on Friday, while Tests two through five will be played at Edgbaston, Lord’s, and the Old Trafford Cricket Ground, before the final match at The Oval in South London next month.
