Sachin Tendulkar breaks his silence on Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy replacing Pataudi Trophy

Sachin Tendulkar urged the BCCI and the ECB to retain legacy of Pataudi family in the test series.

India’s tour of England 2025 is set to commence on June 20 with the opening game at Headingley, Leeds. Ahead of the five-match series, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) retired the Pataudi Trophy and replaced it with the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which will now get awarded to the winners of test series played between England and India in England.

The Pataudi Trophy was introduced in 2007 by the ECB during India’s tour of England. It was done to celebrate 75 years of cricketing ties between India and England. The Pataudi Trophy was named after former Indian legendary cricketers Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

The renaming of the Pataudi Trophy as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy created a controversy among the cricket fraternity and Indian cricket fans. Many fans criticised the move by the ECB and expressed their discontent on social media.

Sachin Tendulkar breaks his silence on Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy controversy

Right before the unveiling ceremony of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, Master Blaster Sachin Tendulkar broke his silence on the controversy surrounding the trophy during an interview with RevzSportz. The Indian batting legend revealed that the BCCI and the ECB informed him that they will be renaming the England vs India test series after James Anderson and him after retiring the Pataudi Trophy.

“Yes I have [stay silent]. Let me then tell you the full thing. First things first, the decision to retire the trophy rested with the BCCI and the ECB. Only after they had taken the decision did they communicate that to me. As far as the Pataudi family is concerned, I am conscious of the contribution they have made to Indian cricket,” he said.

“Pataudi senior played for England and for India, while Tiger Pataudi captained India with distinction. I did not see them play for I wasn’t born, but I have indeed heard stories and those stories inspire us all”, he added.

Tendulkar also revealed that he urged the BCCI and the ECB to retain the legacy of the Pataudi family in the test series between England and India in England. Hence, both the boards have now agreed on awarding Pataudi Medal of Excellence to the winning captain of the test series played between England and India in England from now on.

“That’s why I was determined to ensure that the legacy was kept intact. When I got to know, I called the family and had a conversation. Thereafter, I spoke to Mr Jay Shah, the BCCI and the ECB, and mentioned to them that something had to be done to ensure the legacy stayed on,” the former right-handed batsman said.

“They heard my point of view, and thereafter we got on a second call where it was decided that the Pataudi name will be associated with the series and the winning captain will be awarded the Pataudi medal of excellence. I have always respected my seniors, and did everything in my power to make sure that the Pataudi legacy continues to be associated with this series,” the 52-year-old added.

Meanwhile, Tendulkar and Anderson are the two most capped players in test cricket. Tendulkar played 200 tests, while Anderson represented England in 188 tests. Sachin bowed out of the game as the highest run-scorer, while Anderson retired as highest wicket-taker in tests among fast bowlers, with 704 scalps.

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