ENG vs IND 2025: Why Anderson and Tendulkar were absent from the fifth Test and trophy presentation?
Ahead of the five-match contest, the ECB and BCCI honoured James Anderson, Sachin Tendulkar by naming the England-India Test after the two legends.
The blockbuster five-Test series that ended with India defeating England by six runs at The Oval on Monday (August 4) wasn’t enough to secure the two the newly-named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy entirely. With the series finishing level at 2-2, the prestigious trophy, named after two of the greatest Test cricketers of all time, was shared between the two nations.
ENG-IND Test series named after Anderson, Tendulkar
The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, launched jointly by the ECB and BCCI, replaced the previously used Pataudi Trophy (contested in England) and the Anthony de Mello Trophy (contested in India).
This decision was to celebrate India-England Test battles along with iconic bilateral trophies like The Ashes (Australia vs England) and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (India vs Australia).
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Why was the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy 2025 shared?
In traditions such as The Ashes or Border-Gavaskar Trophy, if a series ends in a draw, the team that won the previous edition retains the trophy. Despite India having beaten England 4-1 in the 2024 series on home soil, they were not awarded the trophy after the 2025 draw. However, the cricket boards chose to treat this 2025 series as the first official edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, and the final result—2-2 meant both teams shared the honours.
Why Anderson and Tendulkar were absent from the fifth Test and trophy presentation?
Despite the historic launch of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy before the series, neither James Anderson nor Sachin Tendulkar, after whom the trophy is named, were present at the Oval for the trophy presentation after the dramatic 2-2 Test series draw between India and England. Notably, captains Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill posed with the trophy alone. While both Tendulkar and Anderson had been present at the official trophy launch in June, but didn't arrive for the closing ceremony. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not yet issued a statement explaining the situation.
India registers their narrowest-ever Test victory by runs
The final Test won by six runs was India’s narrowest-ever Test victory by runs. Both teams had their moments of ups and downs throughout the series. Amidst it all, Shubman Gill and Ben Stokes were jointly awarded the Pataudi Medal of Excellence.
Though the Pataudi Trophy (and Medal) previously represented only the England leg of the rivalry, the medal will also be presented in India. Notably, India will next travel to England in 2029 for a full series, though the teams may meet earlier as part of the 2027–29 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, which could feature matches in India.
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