Sunil Gavaskar criticises naming order of Anderson-Tendulkar trophy

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has voiced strong disapproval over the naming of the Test trophy between England and India as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, suggesting that the legendary Indian batter's name should have come first.

In his column for Mid-day, Gavaskar acknowledged the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) right to rename the series but questioned the order of names in the title.

“The ECB is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose,” Gavaskar wrote. “But for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers, it is jarring to know that Anderson's name comes first.”

Gavaskar argued that Sachin Tendulkar, widely regarded as one of the greatest cricketers in history, deserved precedence due to both his seniority and accomplishments.

“Not only is Sachin Tendulkar along with Kapil Dev the greatest Indian cricketer, but also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years,” he noted. 

“He is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket but also at the one-day level too he has more runs than anybody else. Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket and his record is nowhere as good as Tendulkar in one-day cricket.”

He also pointed out Tendulkar's role in India’s 2011 World Cup triumph, in contrast to Anderson, who has never won a World Cup.

“Tendulkar is also part of a World Cup winning team which Anderson has not been. Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler but mainly in English conditions and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar's is. I also urge all Indian cricket lovers including the India media to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy.”

Historically, Test series between England and India held in England have been played for the Pataudi Trophy, named in honour of Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi — the only cricketer to represent both nations at the Test level. 

His son, Mansoor Ali Khan 'Tiger' Pataudi, also a celebrated India captain, further solidified the family's cricketing legacy.

The Pataudi Trophy was introduced in 2007 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the first Test between India and England. Meanwhile, series held in India are contested for the Anthony De Mello Trophy.

Gavaskar had earlier criticised the move to drop the Pataudi Trophy name, calling it “a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India” in a column for Sportstar.