"I don't want...": James Anderson 'shocked' at ENG-IND Test series being named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

England National Cricket Team bowling legend James Anderson has finally opened up on the England-India Test series being named the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

James Anderson said that he is honored that a high-octane Test series has been named after him and a player he always looked up to, but added that he "still can't quite believe it."

Pataudi Trophy officially replaced

The Pataudi Trophy, for which India and England have played the Test series on England soil since 2007, has officially been replaced. The Pataudi Trophy was named after Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son, Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi.

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From now onwards, the teams will be competing for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, named in honor of the top two most capped players in the history of Test cricket, Sachin Tendulkar (200) and James Anderson (188).

James Anderson is the most successful pacer in the history of Test cricket with 704 wickets under his belt, while Sachin Tendulkar is the leading run-getter with 15921 runs in his bag.

I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game - James Anderson on Sachin Tendulkar

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo during a DP World event at Lord's, James Anderson said that a Test series being named after him is quite surreal and hailed Tendulkar as the absolute legend of the game. He said:

"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."

Notably, Anderson and Tendulkar faced off each other on 14 occasions between 2006 and 2012. In those matches, Tendulkar fell to the right-arm quick 9 times.

I know India are going through a little bit of change with a new captain - James Anderson

Anderson further said that the Test series against India is the second most highly anticipated one for the Three Lions. He stated:

"There are some great memories, I always loved playing against India. I'd say, after the Ashes, it was the series that England look forward to the most. I obviously had some tough times in India, it's a really hard place to go, but we won there which was a really special moment, and some of the battles we had in England were great. They had some amazing players."

Anderson concluded by saying that India have got a solid line-up even in the absence of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He said:

"This series is going to be exactly the same as you'd expect. I know India is going through a little bit of change with a new captain [Shubman Gill], and losing [Virat] Kohli and [Rohit] Sharma, but I still think they've got a strong squad with some really exciting players. England obviously are trying to play a certain way. It lends itself to a really exciting series."

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