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Sunil Gavaskar stirs another controversy around Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, slams ECB: 'Tendulkar will always be above him'
Sunil Gavaskar has now raised another concern about the naming of the newly launched Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. He criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and urged Indian fans to call it by a name he suggested. read more
Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has sparked a new debate over the naming of the newly launched Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In his latest column, Gavaskar said that while the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) can name the trophy whatever they want, Indian fans might find it strange that James Anderson's name has been put before Sachin Tendulkar's.
Gavaskar slams ECB
Gavaskar explained that Tendulkar is not only India's greatest cricketer but also much senior to Anderson in terms of experience. He pointed out that Tendulkar has scored the most runs and centuries in Test cricket, and even in ODIs. Meanwhile, Anderson is third on the all-time Test wicket-takers list, and his ODI record is nowhere close to Tendulkar's.
'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. 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 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. Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar in one-day cricket,' Gavaskar wrote for Mid-Day.
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Gavaskar also criticised the explanation given by the ECB that the names were put alphabetically. He called it a 'lame' reason and said there is simply no comparison between Tendulkar and Anderson in terms of what they've done for their countries. He added that he has great respect for Anderson, but as an Indian, Tendulkar will always be above him in his eyes.
'Tendulkar is also part of a World cup-winning team which Anderson has not been. Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler but mainly in English conditions and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar's is. So, by all accounts Tendulkar's name should come first. This argument that they are going by the letters of the alphabet where the letter A comes before T is such a lame one for there's simply no comparison with what Tendulkar has done and achieved and what Anderson has for their respective countries. Please don't misunderstand, there's massive respect for Anderson but as an Indian, for me Tendulkar will always be above him. I also urge all Indian cricket lovers including the Indian media to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy,' he added.
Gavaskar had earlier expressed his doubts over the renaming of the trophy, raising concerns about the legacy of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, after whom the original cup was named. Tendulkar then stepped in and urged the ECB and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to maintain a connection with Pataudi. Following these concerns, the ECB decided to introduce the Pataudi Medal for Excellence, which will be awarded to the winning captain.
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