The cricketing world is witnessing an unexpected shake-up as the England-India Test series will now be known as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, a decision that has stirred controversy among former players and cricketing families.
Previously, the prestigious series had two distinct identities-the Pataudi Trophy when played in England and the Anthony de Mello Trophy when contested in India. The former honoured India's illustrious captains Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, latter it was named after Anthony de Mello, a foundational figure in the BCCI and its first secretary and president.
However, the recent renaming has not gone down well with members of the cricket fraternity. Saad Bin Jung, former First-Class cricketer and a scion of the Pataudi lineage, expressed his dismay, stating exclusively, "It's baffling to see a cricketer permitting a trophy to be taken away from a former Indian Test captain and renamed in his own honour. This reflects a total disregard for the cricketing community and his seniors in the game. It speaks volumes about how far people are willing to go for recognition-any form of fame, even if it means overshadowing those who led Indian cricket before them. In doing so, you've lost all respect in my eyes and in the eyes of the entire cricket fraternity."
Incidentally, Saad's grandfather, Nawab Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his (Saad's) uncle Tiger Pataudi- both captained India.
His sentiments were echoed by Yajurvindra Singh, a former cricketer who played four Tests for India in the 1980s. Strongly opposing the change, he argued, _"It is ridiculous to retire the Pataudi Trophy. Tiger, to me, was one of the greatest Indian cricketers to play the game. He led India for over a decade and played with one eye-that's greatness personified! I can't imagine a single international cricketer performing the way he did at the highest level. Milburn, Ranji, and many others tried and failed. The BCCI should have stepped in before the proposal came from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB)."_
Venkatpathi Raju, the former Indian spinner with 81 international appearances, presented an alternate viewpoint. He suggested that instead of renaming the Test series trophy, the Anderson-Tendulkar label could have been attached to an ODI or T20I series, given both players' outstanding records in limited-overs cricket. _"Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer and Anderson the highest wicket-taker (against India), so maybe that was the reasoning behind the decision. But discarding the Pataudi Trophy entirely feels unnecessary."_
Many within the cricket community are now urging authorities to reconsider, arguing that the historical significance of the Pataudi Trophy deserves preservation-just like the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which remains the hallmark of India-Australia Test contests.
With strong opposition from various quarters, the fate of this renaming remains uncertain. Whether the voices of former cricketers and fans will sway decision-makers or whether the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will officially take its place in cricketing history is yet to be seen.
