Former India cricketer and legend Sunil Gavaskar was 'jarred' to know the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy features the name of Anderson first. The Pataudi Trophy, named after Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was awarded to the winners of the Test series between England and India at the former's home. However, the trophy was renamed to Anderson-Tendulkar ahead of India's 2025 tour to England.
Gavaskar felt 'jarred' with Anderson's name coming ahead of Sachin, citing that the India legend is senior to the English icon and is the 'numero uno'.
"The ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose, but for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers, it is jarring to know that Anderson’s name comes first," Anderson wrote in his column for Mid-day.
"Not only is Sachin Tendulkar, along with Kapil Dev, the greatest Indian cricketer, but also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years. He is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket but also at the one-day level too he has more runs than anybody else.
Gavaskar urges Indian media to call it Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy
Meanwhile, the former India captain Gavaskar urged the Indian media to address the trophy as Tendulkar-Anderson and not what it was named. "Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket, and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar's in one-day cricket. Tendulkar is also part of a World Cup-winning team, which Anderson has not been. Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler, but mainly in English condition,s and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar’s is. I also urge all Indian cricket lovers, including the Indian media, to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy," he added.
Sachin made efforts to keep the Pataudi legacy
Sachin had made an effort to keep the Pataudi legacy in the trophy alive. He reached out to the ICC chair Jay Shah, BCCI and ECB to keep the Pataudi connection. Subsequently, it was decided that the winning captain of the series would be awarded a Pataudi medal. "My first phone call was to the Pataudi family to inform them. And we spoke about how to keep the Pataudi legacy alive [with the India-England series]. I said that I will try my best," Tendulkar told The Indian Express.
"I spoke to Mr. Jay Shah, the BCCI and the ECB and shared my ideas with them, and shared a few options. With a few phone calls with them, I felt they bought into the idea and graciously agreed [to retain Pataudi connection]. It was to support the whole thought process, which ended up in having this Pataudi Medal of Excellence for the series-winning captain," he added.