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BCCI Requests ECB To Keep Pataudi’s Legacy Alive With Player Award In IND-ENG Tests

Rajgeeta Yadav

 PATAUDI TROPHY [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com] PATAUDI TROPHY [Source: @mufaddal_vohra/X.com]

The upcoming Test series between India and England, starting June 20 in Leeds, will now be called the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. This name change has stirred up controversy because, since 2007, the series played in England was known as the Pataudi Trophy, named in honour of former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. 

This trophy was created to celebrate 75 years since India first played a Test against England. In India, however, the Test series between these two countries is called the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named after a former BCCI president.

BCCI’s Response To The Backlash

After fans and many in the cricket community expressed disappointment over the renaming, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) stepped in. According to reports, the BCCI has requested the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to name one of the post-match awards after Pataudi, in order to keep his legacy alive in some way.

A BCCI official told The Indian Express, "It's the ECB who decides on whom they want to name their series. The BCCI has no role in it as it's their home series. We have requested them to name one of the post match Trophy on Pataudi and they will revert to us." 

This isn’t the first time a series has been renamed. In 2020, the Wisden Trophy (between England and West Indies) was changed to the Richards-Botham Trophy to honour cricket greats Viv Richards and Ian Botham.

The Pataudi Trophy was first introduced in 2007, and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi was chosen for his outstanding contributions to Indian cricket. Moreover, he captained India at just 21 years old and played 46 Tests, scoring 2793 runs, with 6 centuries and 16 half-centuries. His highest score was an unbeaten 203. His father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, was also a cricketer and played for both England and India.

This upcoming series will also be the start of a new chapter in Indian Test cricket, as Shubman Gill will take over as captain. Notably, this change comes after both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli retired from Test cricket.