The decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy has caused a big controversy. Many Indian fans are upset, and now legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar has raised questions about why James Anderson’s name comes before Sachin Tendulkar’s.
The new Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy was launched just before the start of the five-match Test series between India and England on June 20. While the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has the right to name the trophy, Gavaskar feels Tendulkar deserves to be mentioned ahead of Anderson.
The former Indian captain has mentioned that Tendulkar is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He has more runs and centuries than anyone else in Test and ODI cricket. However, the celebrated commentator admitted that Anderson is one of the top bowlers in Test cricket, but he didn’t make the same impact in limited-overs cricket.
Your daily dose of cricket!
Sunil Gavaskar slams ECB over Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy name order
The original Pataudi Trophy, named after former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was removed without much explanation. This already upset many Indians, and now the ECB’s decision to put Anderson’s name first didn’t go down well with many when comparing in any aspect.
Read Also: Yashasvi Jaiswal punished with solo slip-catching training after Ollie Pope blunder during 1st Test
Sunil Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Mid-Day, “The ECB is fully entitled to call the series by any name they choose, but for most, if not all, Indian cricket lovers, it is jarring to know that Anderson’s name comes first. Not only is Sachin Tendulkar, along with Kapil Dev, the greatest Indian cricketer, but he is also senior to Anderson by more than a dozen years.
He is numero uno as far as runs and centuries are concerned in Test cricket, but also at the one-day level, too, he has more runs than anybody else. Anderson is third in the list of wicket takers in Test cricket, and his record is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar’s in one-day cricket.”
Sachin Tendulkar’s name should come first: Sunil Gavaskar
Furthermore, Gavaskar has strongly suggested that Sachin Tendulkar’s name should have come first in the new trophy title. He said Tendulkar has achieved far more than James Anderson, including being part of a World Cup-winning team. Gavaskar pointed out that Anderson’s success mostly came in English conditions, while Tendulkar dominated all over the world.
He dismissed the idea of using alphabetical order as a lame excuse and said that there is no real comparison between the two. The legendary batter even urged the Indian fans and the Indian media to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy instead of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
Read Also: Rishabh Pant breaks silence on Sunil Gavaskar’s shocking ‘Stupid to Superb’ U-turn
Gavaskar further explained, “By all accounts, Tendulkar’s name should come first. This argument that they are going by the letters of the alphabet, where the letter A comes before T, is such a lame one, for there’s simply no comparison between what Tendulkar has done and achieved and what Anderson has for their respective countries. Please don’t misunderstand, there’s massive respect for Anderson, but as an Indian, for me Tendulkar will always be above him. I also urge all Indian cricket lovers, including the Indian media, to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy.”
Sunil Gavaskar proposes a new way to honour Pataudi legacy in Test series
At the end, Gavaskar has shared a new idea to better honor the Pataudi legacy after the Pataudi Trophy was replaced by the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. He questioned why only the winning team’s captain gets a Pataudi Medal and asked what would happen if the series ends in a draw.
The legendary cricketer believes that giving a Pataudi Medal to the Player of the Match in every Test and the Pataudi Trophy to the Player of the Series makes the most sense.
Source link
