'The Pataudi Trophy vanished overnight -- no farewell, no tribute, just a quiet replacement.'
'If a name can be erased this easily, what faith can we place in the permanence of Tendulkar-Anderson?'
Tradition, grit and perseverance is the collective essence of Test cricket. The Pataudis personified these very principles.
Honouring the legacy of Pataudi Sr, Iftikhar Ali Pataudi, and Pataudi Jr, Mansoor Ali Khan 'Tiger' Pataudi, the Pataudi Trophy was instituted in 2007, presented to the winner of the India-England series when played in England.
Rahul Dravid's India team was the first to win the Pataudi Trophy in the very first year of its inception.
Thereafter, India's tours to England have never been short of a fight and the last time around in 2021, India drew the series in England.
England are the current and final holders of the Pataudi Trophy, having retained it with a 2-2 draw in the 2021 series.
On this year's tour of England, beginning June 20, the triumphant team will no longer hold aloft the Pataudi Trophy.
Earlier this month, the England and Wales Cricket Board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India jointly announced that the Pataudi Trophy would be replaced by the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, sparking off intense debate.
From august members of the cricketing fraternity to cricket fans, questions have been raised about this rather unnecessary exercise.
In April, the ECB had written to Saif Ali Khan, 'Tiger' Pataudi's only son, about retiring the Pataudi Trophy.
Tiger Pataudi's wife and movie legend Sharmila Tagore had then said: 'I haven't heard from them, but the ECB has sent a letter to Saif that they are retiring the trophy. If the BCCI wants to or does not want to remember Tiger's legacy, it is for them to decide.'
The Pataudi Trophy was named after Iftikhar Ali Pataudi and his son 'Tiger' Pataudi.
Iftikhar had a deep connect to both England and India having represented both countries in Test cricket, pre Independence. In 1932, he scored a century on debut for England against Australia in Sydney.
He also captained the Indian team in 1946. But it was his massive success in county cricket, particularly for Worcestershire, where he left a lasting impression.
Tiger carried forward that legacy with panache and guts. His ability to stand up to England and Australia, the big daddys of cricket in the 1960s and early 1970s, was commendable.
But it was his captaincy, as well as his ability to adapt, especially after the horrific car accident left him with impaired vision, that made him a revered persona.
Tiger played 46 Tests for India, scoring 2,793 runs at an average of 34.9.
'The problem is how little respect the guardians of today's cricket have for the game's hallowed history,' tweeted cricket afficionado Shashi Tharoor, presumably in the midst of leading the all-party delegation to the Americas.
'I have had the honour of watching a #PataudiTroohy Test with Sharmila Tagore -- what disrespect this shows to her and her illustrious family!'
'In 20 years, what do you plan to name it? The UK does a fantastic job usually of preserving tradition. The Nawab of Pataudi played with distinction for England & India, and his son captained India in some enthralling matches. They are an indelible part of cricket history. What was the need to change!' exclaimed Joy Bhattacharjya, the well-known cricket observer.
'Having been an admirer of Anderson the player and, as is well known, of Tendulkar, both as a player and a person, I should have been happy with the series being played for a Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy,' pointed out cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle. 'But it misses the deep connect that Pataudi had with our countries.'
'Both father and son played for Sussex, Sr played for both England and India, Jr set schoolboy batting records in England. There was a very nice ring to the Pataudi Trophy,' Bhogle tweeted.
And what is Test cricket, if not, for its history.
From the Bodyline series -- of which Pataudi senior was intially a part till he fell out with Captain Douglas Jardine over the tactics to ensnare Don Bradman -- to Brian Lara's 400 not out against England in 2004 or England's tour to India in 2024 -- it's the close contests and the match-winning milestones that make the five-day match a loved format.
Some might argue that Test cricket is a dying format, and that the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy helps make Test cricket more relevant.
But is killing a cricketing legacy to accomodate contemporary legends, the right road to revive the oldest format?
Sachin Tendulkar, as his wont, has kept mum on the matter.
'It is surprising that @sachin_rt is not outraged about this. His name has been put on a series by removing Nawab Pataudi's name. How does his conscience allow this?' asked television journalist Sanket Upadhyay.
'Dear @sachin_r: It is you who should have opposed the Nawab of Pataudi Trophy being renamed as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy,' tweeted former Congress spokesperson and cricket writer Sanjay Jha.
'Your silence is deafening. Shame on you @bcci for destroying a great historical lineage. Despite all the moolah, such a huge inferiority complex before the former colonial power?' Jha asked.
'Honourable and ethical thing to do for Sachin Tendulkar was to refuse renaming of the Pataudi Trophy as Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy. Surprised that no Indian player has voiced oppostion to this immoral act,' journalist Amit Gupta tweeted.
'People who think Tendulkar has done more for Indian cricket than Pataudi has deserve the IPL. And Jay Shah,' tweeted journalist Ujwal Nanavati.
Gaurav Sabnis tweeting from the US supported the name change: 'I completely understand your general sentiment, but I have to point out that the trophy is NOT named after Tiger Pataudi but rather his dad Iftikhar who played for both India & England. The fact that most people don't even know this suggests Tendulkar-Anderson is a better name.'
The England and Wales Cricket Board and the BCCI are expected to formally reveal the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy in the lead-up to the five Test series between India and England, starting on June 20 at Leeds.
'It's a huge honour. I still can't quite believe it. Sachin is someone I looked up to when I was growing up, though I don't want to do him a disservice with his age,' Anderson told ESPNCricinfo.
'I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy is a huge honour for me, and I couldn't be more proud.'
Cricket writer Charudutt Prabhu made a befitting observation of the situation.
'In the quiet erasure of the Pataudi Trophy and the unveiling of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, something more than a name was lost. Not against the legends -- but when legacy is treated so lightly, we must ask deeper questions. What is the guarantee this name will stay?'
'The Pataudi Trophy vanished overnight -- no farewell, no tribute, just a quiet replacement. If a name can be erased this easily, what faith can we place in the permanence of Tendulkar-Anderson? I'm not against renaming the trophy -- Tendulkar and Anderson are legends in their own right. But the way it was done lacked grace. A legacy was replaced in silence, when it deserved remembrance, not erasure.
'Should we name trophies after living cricketers at all? Let great players be honoured, yes -- but should legacy be tied to a label that can be edited with time?
'Take The Ashes -- a rivalry not named after a cricketer, yet one that carries unmatched weight. Its story grew through time, not titling. That's what true heritage looks like. Perhaps the truest tribute to the game is to let its great contests breathe -- unlabelled, unburdened,' Prabhu tweeted.
'Let history speak not through names, but through the memories it leaves behind.'
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