Big Breaking: England-India Test Series to be coined as ‘Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy’
From Pataudi trophy, the India-England Test series to be rechristened as per reports, will honour two stalwarts – James Anderson & Sachin Tendulkar.
The Indian Premier League 2025 ended on a high. With the new international cricket cycle ready to roll out, the WTC (World Test Championship) final between England and South Africa is set to take place on June 11, following which the five-match test series between India and England will commence from June 20.
While the test series itself is a highly anticipated event in world cricket, what has become even more exciting is the supposed new name that will be christened and accorded to the trophy designed for this bilateral series exclusively. As per the latest news reports, the India-England test series will henceforth be termed as ‘Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy’, in honour of two of the greatest test batsmen – Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson. As per the apparent media reports, both Tendulkar and Anderson will unveil the silverware at the home of cricket- Lord’s during the World Test Championship (WTC) final which gets underway from June 11.
Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy
- Earlier, when India toured England for Test matches, the series was played for the Pataudi Trophy, named after the royal Pataudi family. The late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was one of India’s most iconic captains, while his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi was also a former Indian captain and played for both England and India and was a celebrated cricketer of his era.
- The series used to be called the ‘Pataudi Trophy’ when played in England and ‘Anthony de Mello Trophy’ when held in India, named after one of the founding members of BCCI who was also the board’s inaugural secretary and president between 1946-47 to 1950-51.
- The trophy nomenclature trend follows the naming of the Crowe-Thorpe trophy in November 2024, which goes to the winner of Test series between England and New Zealand.
- Similarly, India and Australia compete for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Tests, named after two extremely versatile and legendary cricket batsmen – Sunil Gavaskar and Allan Border.
- As far as the England-India series is concerned, Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson – the two legends whose name will be etched on the coveted trophy have faced each other in 14 Test matches. Anderson dismissed Tendulkar on nine occasions, more than any other bowler.
- James Anderson has featured in 188 Tests and retired in July 2024 from test cricket; Tendulkar quit in 2013 having played 200 Tests.
While, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has not officially confirmed this change yet, several media publications have reported this big change. England were the last holders of the Pataudi Trophy after drawing the 2021-2022 series for 2-2. Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson will have their names etched on prestigious silverware as the ECB and BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) have jointly decided to name the Test series between England and India as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. It will certainly be a moment of huge honour and pride for both the modern-day legends and the millions of cricket fans of both countries, as two of most iconic players who have represented their countries on a global scale will have an entire series named to commemorate their invaluable contribution to the game.
India vs England Test Series
The two countries recently announced the squad for the upcoming test series and by the looks of it, India’s test cricket era dons a new avatar. Shubman Gill begins his reign as the youngest and latest captain who will lead the side, along with Rishabh Pant as the vice-captain. His focus on clear communication, security and comfort will be the essential pillars going forward. The two countries, England and India will kick off the new WTC cycle by playing a five-Test series starting at Headingly (Leeds) from June 20. Taking over the captaincy charge from Rohit Sharma, Gill under the guidance of Team India’s Head Coach, Gautam Gambhir will look to emerge victorious and commence the test series on a celebratory note.
India’s Squad: Shubman Gill (C), Rishabh Pant (VC & WK), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (WK), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohd. Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England’s Squad: Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (WK), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
