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Indian legend Sunil Gavaskar has strongly criticised the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for placing James Anderson’s name before Sachin Tendulkar’s in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which has replaced the historic Pataudi Trophy.
The ECB recently announced the rebranding ahead of the ongoing five-match Test series in England.
While a Pataudi Medal will still be awarded to the winning captain, the actual series trophy has been renamed to honour Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson.
Gavaskar, in his Mid-Day column, criticised the decision to award the Pataudi medal to the winning captain, questioning what would occur if the series ended in a draw.
“Why the captain? And what if the series is drawn?” he questioned.
“It would have been better to have the Pataudi Medal for the Player of the Match in every Test, and the Pataudi Trophy for the Player of the Series.
“This way, the Pataudis will be remembered after every Test match played as well as after the series is finished in England.”
Sunil Gavaskar did not stop there as he questioned the order of names in the new title, expressing surprise that Anderson’s name came before Tendulkar’s.
“The ECB is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose, but for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers, it is jarring to know that Anderson’s name comes first,” Gavaskar wrote.
“Not only is Sachin Tendulkar, along with Kapil Dev, the greatest Indian cricketer, but also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years.
“I hope the Indian media and fans start calling it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, that’s how it should be.”
The former India captain also drew attention to the staggering difference in the cricketing legacies of both men.
“Tendulkar is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket. Even at the one-day level, he has more runs than anybody else,” Gavaskar noted.
“Anderson is third in the list of wicket-takers in Test cricket, and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar’s in one-day cricket.
“Anderson was a terrific bowler, but mainly in English conditions. His record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar’s.”
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