Tiger to Tendulkar? Sharmila Tagore, Sunil Gavaskar slam Pataudi Trophy renaming to honour Anderson, Tendulkar
Tiger Pataudi can arguably be the best thing that happened to Indian cricket. A name that became synonymous with the instilling of national pride and unity in the sport, which until the Tiger's entrance, was dominated by India's colonisers, England.
But the very name that scripted history is now at the centre of controversy, with Sharmila Tagore, cricketing icons Sunil Gavaskar, and Harsha Bhogle weighing in.
Earlier this month, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) jointly announced that the Pataudi Trophy would now be called the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy.
The ECB and BCCI have cited the achievements of Tendulkar and Anderson as modern legends of the game, aiming to make the rivalry more relatable to younger fans and to reflect the trend of naming series after contemporary icons.
The names — Anderson, who retired in July 2024 after a record 188 Tests and 704 wickets, and Tendulkar, who bowed out in 2013 after 200 Tests and 15,921 runs — are both widely regarded as legends of the modern game.
The Pataudi Trophy was established in 2007 to mark the 75th anniversary of India's maiden Test series in England. It honoured the remarkable legacy of the Pataudi family—particularly Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the only cricketer to represent both England and India in Test matches, and his son, Mansoor Ali Khan "Tiger" Pataudi.
The 'Pataudi Trophy' was never just about silverware—it was a tribute to cricket's complex colonial inheritance. Named after Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the only man to play Tests for both England and India, it honoured a legacy of defiance and dignity.
Seasoned cricket broadcaster Harsha Bhogle took to X to reflect that although Tendulkar and Anderson are legends, the Pataudi name 'misses the deep connect that Pataudi had with our countries'.
He added: "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.'
The same trophy, which now has a new name, was traditionally awarded to the winner of India's Test tours of England, while in India, the corresponding series has long been played for the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after one of the BCCI's founding architects.
More than mere tokenism, the nomenclature honoured a man whose legacy ran deeper than the scoreboard. During the notorious Bodyline series of 1932-33, he defied his captain, Douglas Jardine, by refusing to field on the leg-side—a stance of integrity that cost him his place in the team. In him, the complex, post-colonial cricketing bond between the two nations found a fitting emblem.
The renaming drew sharp backlash, from the late Tiger Pataudi's wife Sharmila Tagore to his daughter Soha Ali Khan and cricket veteran Sunil Gavaskar.
Sharmila Tagore called it insensitive and said the family wasn't consulted. 'Whether the BCCI wants to preserve Tiger's legacy is for them to decide," she said in an interview with Hindustan Times.
In his column in Sportstar, Sunil Gavaskar said the move was 'disturbing indeed', and argued that '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.'
The newly named trophy is set to be unveiled at Lord's during the World Test Championship final, which begins on June 11.
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