Former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar was surprised to see that the new Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy lists Anderson’s name first. This trophy, which honors the winners of the Test series between England and India, was initially called the Pataudi Trophy after Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. It got its new name ahead of India’s 2025 tour to England. Gavaskar thinks it’s odd that Anderson’s name comes before Sachin, who he believes deserves this recognition since he’s been a legend for longer.
Gavaskar wrote in his column for Mid-day that while the ECB can name the series however they want, many Indian cricket fans will find it hard to accept Anderson’s name coming first. He praised Tendulkar, saying he and Kapil Dev are the top Indian cricketers and that Sachin has more runs and centuries in both Test and one-day cricket than anyone else.
Gavaskar urged Indian media to start calling it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy instead. He pointed out that while Anderson is third in Test wickets taken, his record isn’t as impressive as Tendulkar’s, especially in one-day matches. He noted that Tendulkar is also a part of a World Cup-winning team, while Anderson isn’t. He recognized that Anderson was a great bowler, but mostly in English conditions.
Sachin has been working to keep the Pataudi legacy alive with this trophy. He reached out to ICC chair Jay Shah, the BCCI, and the ECB to ensure this connection remained. Tendulkar shared that he first contacted the Pataudi family to keep them in the loop. After some discussions, they agreed to award a Pataudi medal to the captain of the series winner. Sachin said he felt they all embraced the idea, leading to this Pataudi Medal of Excellence for the winning captain.