Legendary Kapil Dev has finally broken his silence on the Anderson-Tendulkar trophy controversy before the start of India’s five-match Test series against England. The controversy stemmed when the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) renamed the Pataudi Trophy – to be awarded to the winner of the Test series hosted by England against India – as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, thus honouring two legends of the game.
India have been touring England since 1932 but the Pataudi Trophy – in honour of former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi and his father Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi – first came into picture when the Indian team led by Rahul Dravid won their only second Test series win over England in England in 2007. Sachin Tendulkar was also a part of that team.
Like many others, Kapil Dev, also drew a strange reaction. “It feels a little strange… like, does this also happen? But that’s okay, everything works in cricket,” said the 1983 World Cup-winning former India captain at a event on Wednesday in New Delhi.
“At the end of the day, there is no difference. Cricket is cricket. The cricket on the field should be the same,” said the 66-year-old.
What is the history of Pataudi Trophy?
The idea of Pataudi Trophy was first conceived in 2007 by the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) to pay tribute to the contributions of the Pataudi family and mark the 75th anniversary of India’s first Test against England in 1932. While Iftikhar Ali Khan represented both India and England and is the only cricketer to do so, his son Mansur Ali Khan also made a mark for himself for India. Both had captained India.
Reactions and backlash
The move wasn’t well accepted by several former cricketers, including ex-India captain Sunil Gavaskar and several others. While James Anderson, who retired in 2024, was the first one to react calling its a ‘huge honour’, Tendulkar opined he would do everything in his power to continue its legacy.
