Former Indian cricketers like Venkatapathy Raju and Yajuvindra Singh spoke against the move to rename the Pataudi Trophy to the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy for the England vs India Tests.
Backlash Grows Over Pataudi Trophy’s Retirement
India vs England Tests are usually played for the Pataudi Trophy, named after the legendary former Indian captain Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi. In a recent development, the England Cricket Board retired the Pataudi Trophy and renamed it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, honoring legends Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson
Also Read: ECB Set to Retire Pataudi Trophy Ahead of India’s Test Tour of England
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This move from the ECB has received significant backlash, especially from members of the Pataudi family and a few former Indian cricketers who played at the highest level. The likes of Venkatapathy Raju and Yajuvindra Singh were unhappy with the renaming and criticized the move, saying it is disrespectful to the legacy of an Indian cricket legend.
Also Read: England-India Tests to Be Called Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy
Yajuvindra Singh Slams BCCI for Approving Trophy Renaming
Yajuvindra Singh, who represented India in four Test matches, highlighted that Pataudi led the Indian team with just one eye. He stressed the importance of Pataudi’s contribution to Indian cricket and criticized the BCCI for approving the ECB’s proposal.
"It is ridiculous to retire the Pataudi Trophy. Tiger, to me, was one of the greatest Indian cricketers to play the game. He led India for over a decade and played with one eye—that’s greatness personified! I can’t imagine a single international cricketer performing the way he did at the highest level. Milburn, Ranji, and many others tried and failed. The BCCI should have stepped in before the proposal came from the England and Wales Cricket Board," Singh stated.
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Venkatapathy Raju Takes Neutral Stand on Trophy Renaming
Meanwhile, Venkatapathy Raju took a neutral stance, acknowledging the reason for renaming the trophy to the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, citing Sachin as the highest run-scorer and James Anderson as the highest wicket-taker. However, he still feels that retiring the Pataudi trophy was unnecessary.
"Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer and Anderson the highest wicket-taker [against India], so maybe that was the reasoning behind this decision, but discarding the Pataudi Trophy entirely feels unnecessary," Raju said.
