India legend Sunil Gavaskar has sharply criticized the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for its decision to name the marquee India-England Test series as the “Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy,” placing James Anderson’s name ahead of Sachin Tendulkar’s. In a strongly worded reaction, Gavaskar described the move as “jarring” and called the rationale behind it “lame,” arguing that Tendulkar’s cricketing stature far exceeds that of Anderson.
Gavaskar questions ECB’s priorities and naming logic
“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,” Gavaskar wrote in his Mid-Day column.
In Gavaskar’s view, the issue isn’t just about alphabetical order but about relative greatness. “Not only is Sachin Tendulkar along with Kapil Dev the greatest Indian cricketer, but 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 as good as Tendulkar in one-day cricket.”
Gavaskar called into question the fairness of equating Tendulkar’s legacy with Anderson’s, especially given their different contributions to the game and vastly differing achievements across formats.
Tendulkar’s global record outweighs Anderson’s English dominance
In his critique, Gavaskar highlighted Anderson’s success as being mostly limited to home conditions and pointed out that Tendulkar’s record stood the test globally.
“Tendulkar is also part of a World cup-winning team which Anderson has not been. Jimmy Anderson was a terrific bowler but mainly in English conditions and his record away is nowhere near as good as Tendulkar’s is. So, by all accounts Tendulkar’s name should come first,” Gavaskar stated.
Brushing aside the justification that the order was simply alphabetical, Gavaskar didn’t hold back: “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 with 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.”
He ended with a strong appeal to fans and the media: “I also urge all Indian cricket lovers including the Indian media to call it the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy.”
Criticism extends to Pataudi Medal announcement
Gavaskar also expressed disappointment with how the ECB chose to preserve the Pataudi legacy by awarding the newly introduced “Pataudi Medal of Excellence” only to the series-winning captain.
“The announcement of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy also said that respect would be given to the Pataudis by having a medallion for the captain of the team winning the series. Why the captain and what if the series is drawn?” Gavaskar questioned.
Instead, he offered an alternative format for the medal’s presentation to keep the Pataudi legacy alive throughout the series. “That’s why it would have been better to have had a Pataudi medal for the Man Of The Match for every Test, culminating in the Pataudi Trophy for the Player Of The Series. This way, the Pataudis will be remembered after every Test match played as well as after the series is finished in England. It would be interesting to hear what Indian cricket lovers feel on this subject.”
Series begins under a cloud of controversy
The decision to rename the series and sideline the historic Pataudi name has stirred fan unrest and now triggered criticism from one of Indian cricket’s most respected voices. Gavaskar’s remarks reflect a broader sentiment among Indian cricket stakeholders—one that emphasizes not just national pride but a call for perspective on cricketing greatness and tradition.
