Former Indian cricketers speak against renaming of Pataudi Trophy to Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

The England Cricket Board's (ECB) decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has drawn criticism from former Indian cricketers. As the Indian board, aka BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), accepted the ECB's proposal, former India captain and legend Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi's close ones and former cricketers condemned the move, calling it a disregard for seniors and the cricketing community.

Saad Bin Jung, a former first-class cricketer and a member of the Pataudi lineage, said it was baffling to witness the move and felt people are willing to go to any extent for fame and recognition. He said that everyone involved in the decision has lost their respect, as well as the respect of the cricket fraternity.

"It's baffling to see a cricketer allowing a trophy to be taken away from a former Indian Test captain and renamed in his own honour. This reflects a total disregard for the cricketing community and his seniors in the game," Saad Bin Jung said via Mid-Day.

"It speaks volumes about how far people are willing to go for recognition, any form of fame, even if it means overshadowing those who led Indian cricket before them. In doing so, you’ve lost all respect in my eyes and in the eyes of the entire cricket fraternity," he further added.

'He led India for over a decade and played with one eye' – Yajurvindra Singh on Pataudi

Yajurvindra Singh, who played four matches for India at the highest level, regarded Pataudi as one of the greatest Indian cricketers and highlighted how he led India for over a decade with a single eye. He felt many players like Ranji and Milburn failed to commit the way Pataudi did to cricket, and added that the BCCI should have rejected 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.

Venkatapathy Raju, the former Indian spinner, understood why it was named after James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, as both were the highest wicket-takers and highest run-scorers for England and India, respectively. However, he felt discarding the name of the former Indian cricketer 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.