India Vs England, 1st Test: Sunil Gavaskar Criticises ECB Over Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy Naming

Cricketing icon Sunil Gavaskar has expressed his deep dissatisfaction with the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to rename the iconic Pataudi Trophy as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, placing England pace legend James Anderson’s name before Indian batting great Sachin Tendulkar.

In a column for Mid-Day, Gavaskar not only questioned the new naming convention but also the logic behind the accompanying Pataudi Medal, awarded solely to the winning captain of the five-match Test series.

“The announcement of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy also said that respect would be given to the Pataudis by having a medallion for the captain of the team winning the series. Why the captain and what if the series is drawn?” Gavaskar wrote, calling the idea flawed in its execution.

Instead, the former India skipper offered an alternative that would honour the Pataudi legacy more meaningfully. “That’s why it would have been better to have had a Pataudi medal for the Man of the Match for every Test, culminating in the Pataudi Trophy for the Player of the Series. This way, the Pataudis will be remembered after every Test match played as well as after the series is finished in England,” he suggested.

Gavaskar also took issue with the ordering of names, stating bluntly that it was “jarring” for Indian fans to see Anderson’s name come before Tendulkar’s, given the latter’s historic achievements.

“The ECB 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,” he wrote.

Gavaskar questioned why Tendulkar’s legacy wasn’t recognised more prominently, especially considering his seniority and unmatched statistics.

“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 said.

The former opener went on to stress Tendulkar’s unparalleled contribution to the game across formats, especially in contrast with Anderson, whose achievements, while notable, don’t match up in terms of overall impact, especially in white-ball cricket.

“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 noted. “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.”

He also pointed out that Anderson, while part of England’s T20 World Cup squad in 2010, “did not get a game” and never featured in a World Cup-winning XI — a feat Tendulkar achieved in 2011.

Gavaskar concluded by urging Indian fans and the media to take matters into their own hands and refer to the series as the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, regardless of the official nomenclature. “It would be interesting to hear what Indian cricket lovers feel on this subject,” he remarked.