Sachin Tendulkar breaks silence on Anderson-Tendulkar trophy controversy: 'I told Pataudi family I will do all I can…'
The legendary Sachin Tendulkar has finally opened up on the controversy surrounding the Pataudi Trophy and the England Cricket Board's decision to rename the Test series between India and England to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. In an ideal scenario, Tendulkar would've been thrilled by the idea of having a tournament of such a magnitude named after him, but the Little Master, out of his respect towards the Pataudi legacy and its contribution for Indian cricket, has promised to do everything in his power to ensure the rebranding does not go ahead as planned.
"The Pataudi legacy has to be kept alive. The contribution of the Pataudi family to Indian cricket inspires us all. I spoke to the family and mentioned to them that I will do all to keep the legacy alive. I also spoke to Mr. Jay Shah, the BCCI and ECB, and shared my thoughts. Thereafter, we did a second call, and it was decided to award the Pataudi Medal of Excellence to the winning captain. You need to know the decision on retiring the trophy rested with the BCCI and the ECB, and when I was communicated, I did all I could to ensure the legacy was kept intact," RevSportz quoted Tendulkar as saying.
Also Read: Kapil Dev reacts sharply to Pataudi Trophy being renamed Anderson-Tendulkar'; 'Felt strange. Does this also happen?'
The India-England series was rechristened to the Pataudi Trophy in 2007, when India won only its second Test series in England. The trophy was awarded to the Indian team, then captained by Rahul Dravid, which Tendulkar was a part of, after it beat England 1-0 in the three-Test series, to mark the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India vs England Test match in 1932. The trophy is a part of Indian cricketing folklore, embodying the deep cricketing ties between the Pataudis and the India-England rivalry.
Also Read: Sachin Tendulkar steps in, speaks to BCCI, ECB after Pataudi Trophy rebranded to Anderson-Tendulkar; 'Change of heart…'
Ever since the news of the ECB's decision to retire the Pataudi Trophy first broke, it was met with plenty of backlash from fans and former cricketers alike. Sunil Gavaskar was very vocal in his criticism of the call, and after plenty of more such reactions, the BCCI urged the ECB to introduce the Pataudi medal to the winning captain. Anderson was the first to react to the rechristening, calling it a huge honour and lavishing praise on Tendulkar.
Also Read: No disrespect to Anderson-Tendulkar, but renaming the Pataudi Trophy isn't quite cricket
"It's a huge honour. I still can't quite believe it. Sachin is someone I looked up to when I was growing up, though I don't want to do him a disservice with his age. "I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy is a huge honour for me, and I couldn't be more proud," Anderson had told ESPNcricinfo.
The Anderson-Tendulkar trophy was believed to be unveiled last Saturday, which turned out to be Day 4 of the World Test Championship between South Africa and Australia, but had to be postponed due to the Air India plane tragedy, which led to the loss of several lives back in India. Tendulkar had remained oddly silent on the matter until breaking his silence a day before the series kicks off in Headingley on Friday.
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