Sachin Tendulkar finally breaks silence on Pataudi Trophy controversy

India National Cricket Team batting great and the God of Cricket, Sachin Tendulkar, has finally opened up on the Pataudi Trophy controversy.

The Pataudi Trophy has been a major topic of discussion among the fans and experts since the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) decided to rename it the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

Pataudi Trophy replaced with Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

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

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Both Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi led Team India and featured in county cricket matches in England, with the former even playing Test matches for both India and England, becoming the only cricketer to do so.

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

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

The Pataudi legacy has to be kept alive - Sachin Tendulkar

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has faced heavy criticism since renaming the Test series trophy after Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson and axing the Pataudi legacy.

After the backlash, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) reached out to the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and urged them not to remove the Pataudi name entirely from the series. BCCI urged the ECB to introduce a Pataudi Medal, which will be given to the skipper of the winning team.

Meanwhile, in an interaction with RevSportz, legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar emphasised on keeping the Pataudi legacy alive. He said:

“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 - Sachin Tendulkar

Tendulkar added that he personally spoke to the Pataudi family and promised them he would give his best to ensure that the Pataudi name is attached to the England-India series.

The batting great further revealed that he had multiple discussions with the ICC chief Jay Shah, BCCI, and ECB, and together they decided that the Pataudi Medal of Excellence would he awarded to the winning captain of the England-India Test series. He stated:

"I spoke to the family and mentioned to them I will do all to keep the legacy alive. I also spoke to Mr Jay Shah BCCI and ECB and I shared my thoughts."

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"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.”

EXCLUSIVE and BREAKING @sachin_rt opens up on the Anderson Tendulkar trophy controversy and the series.

“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 I will do all…

— Boria Majumdar (@BoriaMajumdar) June 19, 2025