Former Indian players have criticised the England Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. As the Indian board, called the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India), accepted the ECB’s suggestion, former India captain and icon Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s close friends and former players blasted the action, calling it disrespectful to seniors and the cricketing community.

Saad Bin Jung, a former first-class cricketer from the Pataudi family, said it was perplexing to observe the move and that individuals are willing to go to any length for fame and recognition. He claimed that everyone engaged in the decision had lost their respect, as well as the respect of the cricket community.

“It’s perplexing to see a cricketer accept a trophy to be seized from a former Indian Test captain and renamed in his own honour. “This reflects a complete disregard for the cricketing community and his seniors in the game,” Saad Bin Jung told Mid-Day.

“It demonstrates how far people are ready to go for glory and fame, even if it means overshadowing those who have led Indian cricket before them. In doing so, you have lost all respect in my eyes, as well as the eyes of the entire cricket fraternity,” he continued.

‘He led India for over a decade and played with one eye,’ says Yajurvindra Singh of Pataudi Trophy.

Yajurvindra Singh, who played four Tests for India, rated Pataudi as one of the best Indian cricketers, citing his ability to lead India for nearly a decade with one eye. He felt that many players, like Ranji and Milburn, did not commit to cricket in the same manner that Pataudi did, and that the BCCI should have refused the ECB’s proposition.

“It’s foolish to retire the Pataudi Trophy. Tiger was, in my opinion, one of the greatest Indian cricketers ever. He led India for more than a decade while playing with one eye—that is brilliance embodied! I cannot fathom any other international cricketer performing as well as he did at the greatest level. Milburn, Ranji, and many others tried but failed. Singh claimed that the BCCI should have intervened before the England and Wales Cricket Board made their suggestion.

Venkatapathy Raju, a former Indian spinner, understood why it was called after James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, who were England’s and India’s top wicket-takers and run scorers, respectively. However, he felt that removing the name of the former Indian cricketer was superfluous.

“Sachin Tendulkar is the highest run-scorer and Anderson the highest wicket-taker [against India], so maybe that was the reasoning behind this decision, but discarding the Pataudi Trophy entirely feels unnecessary,” says Raju.