IND v ENG series: Tendulkar breaks his silence on the Pataudi Trophy

It’s now official — a Pataudi Medal of Excellence will be awarded to the winning captain of every India vs England Test series, while the name of winners’ trophy becomes the Anderson–Tendulkar Trophy.

The decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy, taken by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in consultation with the BCCI in April, evoked a strong wave of criticism in India’s cricket community.

The institution of a medal named after Pataudi in a jiffy — which is at best a form of tokenism — has been hurriedly taken at the instance of Sachin Tendulkar, we're told. The Little Master broke his silence on the issue a day before the five-Test series gets underway at Leeds on Friday, 20 June.

Speaking to sports website Revsportz, the Little Master said: ‘’The Pataudi legacy has to be kept alive. The contribution of the Pataudi family to Indian cricket inspires us all. I spoke to the family and mentioned to them that I would do all I could to keep the legacy alive. I also spoke to Jay Shah, the BCCI and the ECB and I shared my thoughts.”

Tendulkar said that all parties agreed on the importance of preserving the Pataudi legacy and he did his best to ensure that outcome during his discussions with key decision makers.

‘’Thereafter, we had a second call, and it was decided to award the Pataudi Medal of Excellence to the winning captain. You need to understand that the decision on retiring the trophy rested with the BCCI and the ECB, and once I was informed, I did all I could to ensure the legacy was kept intact,’’ he said.

The rechristened Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was supposed to be inaugurated on 14 June, but the ceremony was rescheduled to Thursday, 19 June following the tragic loss of lives in the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.

Tendulkar, meanwhile, came in for some strong criticism from the public, for not putting his foot down at the idea of such a move.

Questions will still be asked about the need in the first place to rename the main trophy — after all, it erases the emotional connect with the Pataudi family in both countries.

Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi uniquely represented both nations — England and India — while his son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi captained India in 40 Tests and led the team to its first-ever overseas series win in New Zealand in 1967.

Meanwhile, England’s veteran fast bowler James Anderson expressed pride in the rebranded trophy, which now carries his name alongside that of one of his cricketing heroes. ‘’I remember watching [Tendulkar] — absolute legend of the game — and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy named after us is a huge honour for me, and I couldn't be more proud,’’ Anderson told the ECB website.