The historic Pataudi Trophy, traditionally contested in Test series between England and India, is set to be renamed the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as jointly announced by the ECB and BCCI—a decision that has sparked sharp criticism from fans and former players who see it as an unnecessary change to a symbol of shared cricketing heritage.
The Pataudi Trophy, established in 2007 to mark the 75th anniversary of India’s inaugural Test series in England, was named in honour of the Pataudi family, particularly Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the only cricketer to have represented both England and India, and his son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the legendary Indian captain fondly known as “Tiger” Pataudi.
Traditionally, the winner of the India-England Test series in England received the Pataudi Trophy, while in India, the series was played for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after a BCCI founder.
Earlier, Sharmila Tagore, the late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s wife, criticised the decision as insensitive and questioned the erasure of the Pataudi legacy.
She revealed that while the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) wrote to her son, Saif Ali Khan, informing him about the change, the family was not consulted before the decision was made.
Cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle said, “Having been an admirer of Anderson the player and, as is well known, of Tendulkar, both as a player and a person, I should have been happy with the series being played for a Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy.”
However, he emphasised that the change overlooks the historical connection of the Pataudi name: “But it misses the deep connect that Pataudi had with our countries. Both father and son played for Sussex, Sr played for both England and India, Jr set schoolboy batting records in England. There was a very nice ring to the Pataudi Trophy.”
Expressing huge disappointment, writer NS Madhavan said, “At the change of name of India-England Tests trophy from Nawab of Pataudi Trophy to Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. Nawab was the real moderniser of Indian cricket. At cover he used to prance like a tiger, while other gentlemen found it difficult even to bend.”
“Cricket honours tradition; it isn’t a Delhi road to change names now and then,” he said, referring to the trend of the BJP government renaming institutions and landmarks—a move critics say is part of an attempt to erase India’s diverse history and identity related to Muslims.
Sports producer Joy Bhattacharya asked, “What was the need to change!”
“In 20 years, what do you plan to name it? The UK does a fantastic job of preserving tradition. The Nawab of Pataudi played with distinction for England & India, and his son captained India in some enthralling matches. They are an indelible part of cricket history,” he wrote on X.
Apoorvanand, a well-known writer, public speaker, and Delhi University professor, highlighted, “To remove the name of Pataudi is part of the larger cultural project of erasing Muslim imprint from the Indian body. Tendulkar accepting it tells you how our elite are complicit in it.”
Criticising Sachin Tendulkar for agreeing to the renaming, writer Mrinal Pande said, “Sad that a respected and otherwise good-natured sportsman like Sachin should agree to the erasure of the name of a senior like Tiger Pataudi from the trophy and have it replaced with his own.”
Journalist Sanket Upadhyay also questioned Tendulkar’s silence, stating, “It is surprising that Sachin Tendulkar is not outraged about this. His name has been put on a series by removing Nawab Pataudi’s name. How does his conscience allow this?”
Earlier in April, former Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar said, “The recent news that the ECB is going to retire the Pataudi Trophy, given to the winners of the Test series between England and India in England, is disturbing indeed. This is the first time one has heard of a trophy named after individual players being retired, though the decision is entirely the ECB’s, and the BCCI may well have been informed,” in his column for Sportstar.
“It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India. There may well be a new trophy named after more recent players, and here’s hoping that if an Indian player has been approached, he will have the good sense to politely decline, not only out of respect for two former India captains but also to avoid the same fate of having a trophy named after him retired after he is gone,” he said.
