England great James Anderson has admitted that seeing his name alongside India legend Sachin Tendulkar made him feel 'completely out of place'. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has replaced the Pataudi Trophy, a Test series being contested between England and India.
The ECB and the BCCI chose to rechristen the Test series between the two teams ahead of the ongoing five-match series in England. The previous series on the English soil were played under the name of Pataudi Trophy, named after former Indian captains Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.
"It's not necessarily just how huge it is to have a trophy named after you, but alongside Sachin Tendulkar, who, for me, is one of the greatest ever cricketers to have lived. I feel completely out of place when I see myself alongside him with the trophy. I hold him in such high regard, " Anderson told 'Sky Sports'.
"I watched him as a kid, played against him. He's just such an iconic cricketer who's carried the weight of a nation on his shoulders throughout his career and past it as well.
So, to share something like this with him is an incredible honour," he added.
Both Anderson and Tendulkar have been legends for their nations and are the two most-capped Test players. Tendulkar is the only player to feature in 200 Test matches in a career spanning 24 years from 1989 to 2013. Anderson donned the Test cap on 188 occasions from 2003 to 2024.
Meanwhile, after the series was renamed to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the Indian legend helped keep the Pataudi name associated with the series. "I shared my thoughts with BCCI and ECB. I thought the outcome was very good. We decided that the Pataudi Medal of Excellence would be given to the winning captain because he was known for his leadership skills. The legacy is kept alive. I've always believed that someone who's contributed to Indian cricket and cricket across the globe should always be respected and remembered," Sachin had said earlier.
The current Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy is currently poised 2-1 in favour of England. India lost the first Test in Leeds and then clinched the second one in Headingley. The visitors lost the third one at Lord's.
