The Indian team is all set to take on England in a five-game Test series. Both sides will kick off the series from June 20, and it is worth noting that the series will also be kicking off the new World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle as well.
It is worth noting that recently, the decision to rename the India-England bilateral series from the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was made. Furthermore, ahead of the start of the series, there was a proposed launch of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy as well.
However, in a major development, the launch of the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy has been postponed in the wake of the Ahmedabad plane crash that claimed over 250 lives in India.
ECB-BCCI made joint decision to call off event
It is worth noting that the trophy-naming ceremony was originally scheduled for Saturday (June 14); however, the ECB and the BCCI have made the joint decision to call off the event for now.
"Given the tragic events in India, the announcement may wait a while out of respect (for the lives lost). The BCCI are still deciding on the right time for the announcement. The announcement had been kept flexible due to the tragedy,” an ECB official was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Pataudi name to continue
Where the ECB wanted to change the name of the Pataudi trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the board seems to have had a change of heart after Sachin Tendulkar himself made a request to the ECB. According to Cricbuzz, Tendulkar has spoken with the ECB and the BCCI to continue the Pataudi name.
Continuing on the same, the ECB official confirmed that the Pataudi name will continue to live on through the series. "Yes, there is a confirmed plan to retain the Pataudi link in the England-India series,” the official said. The board is expected to award a medallion in the name of the late MAK Pataudi to continue the tradition.
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