The heat and dust over the renaming of the Pataudi Trophy to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, meant for the winners of the India-England Test series played in England, continues unabated. The re-christening was formally done on the opening day of the World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s on 11 June, while the first Test begins at Leeds on 20 June.

The renaming of the trophy after the two cricket stalwarts was at the behest of the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) with surely an approving nod from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). What clinched the case was that renaming the trophy after two modern greats would be more relatable to younger cricket fans in the two countries. However, the furore it has caused back home has reportedly prompted the Indian board to write to its counterpart for some kind of damage control, Indian Express has reported.

The report quotes an unnamed BCCI official as saying: ''It's the ECB who decides on who they want to name their series (after). The BCCI has no role in it as it's their home series. We have requested them to name one of the post-match trophies after Pataudi and they will revert to us.'' If such a step is indeed taken, it will be an even worse form of tokenism.

The Pataudi legacy

Who remembers the Pataudis? Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi played Test cricket for the English team in the 1930s before becoming captain of the Indian team that toured England in 1946. Iftikhar, popularly known as Nawab of Pataudi Sr, was a dashing stroke-player and his knock of 238 not out for Oxford against Cambridge in 1931 remained unbroken until 2005. He scored a century on debut against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1932-33, the Ashes series famous for England’s bodyline tactic devised to contain the great Donald Bradman.

Despite the extraordinary performance, he was dropped after two matches for the rest of the series because he disagreed with captain Douglas Jardine’s tactics. After Khan refused to take his place in a bodyline leg-side field, Jardine retorted, “I see his highness is a conscientious objector.”

He returned home before the end of the tour. His ethical stand and defiance not only cost him his cricketing career but did not endear him to English fans at the time. His equally well known son Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, or simply 'Tiger Pataudi' for cricket fans, also went on to play for India in Tests and captained the Indian side. This is possibly the only instance of a father and son leading the Test team of their country.

Iftikar Ali Khan Pataudi, the only cricketer to have played Tests for both England and India

Purists are dismayed at the trophy being renamed. If the Pataudi Trophy is deemed outdated, then what about the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the India-Australia Test series (instituted in 1996)? By the same argument, should it now be renamed the Smith-Kohli Trophy, quipped cricket writer and commentator Ayaz Memon. Or the French Open management might think of renaming the La Coupe des Mousquetaires (The Musketeers' Trophy) to the Nadal Trophy? Rafael Nadal did win the cup 14 times after all.

The decision has disappointed large sections of Indian fans, several legends of the game, and of course, the Pataudi family, besides cricket writers and historians. Their mild and muted disapproval had less to do with the cricketers after whom the trophy was being renamed and more with the Indian cricket board’s silence bordering on complicity.

Abbas Ali Baig, now 86 and one of Mansoor Ali Khan's contemporaries — both in team India as well as Hyderabad’s golden generation — did not mince words. Speaking to National Herald over the phone from Singapore, one of the most flamboyant characters of Indian cricket said: ‘’It’s quite insulting and demeaning to change the name of the trophy... I am not aware of any such precedent. If you want to honour Tendulkar and Anderson for their achievements, why don’t you institute another trophy? I find it rather cheap.’’

Abbas Ali Baig to NHIt’s quite insulting and demeaning to change the name of the trophy... I am not aware of any such precedent. If you want to honour Tendulkar and Anderson for their achievements, why don’t you institute another trophy? I find it rather cheap It's time for Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

The sense of hurt was palpable in Sharmila Tagore, Tiger’s wife, who told Hindustan Times: “Whether the BCCI wants to preserve Tiger’s legacy or not is for it to decide.’’ In his column in Sportstar, Sunil Gavaskar said the move was ‘disturbing indeed’, and argued that “this is the first time one has heard of a trophy named after individual players being retired; though the decision is entirely the ECB’s, the BCCI may well have been informed”. Indeed, it’s difficult to believe that the Indian board was not taken into confidence before making the announcement to ‘market’ the series better.

For the uninitiated, it’s worthwhile to recall what made the two boards agree to institute the Pataudi Trophy in 2007, barely 18 years ago. The year marked the 75th anniversary of the first-ever Test series between India and England, and naming the trophy after Pataudi was an innovative step to honour both the nawabs and the legacy of Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, the only cricketer to have played Tests for both countries and Tiger, an iconoclast who led his teammates when India was the underdog.

Is there a move afoot to obliterate the Pataudi legacy and rewrite Indian cricketing history? There is also a whiff of suspicion that the decision was not opposed because of the majoritarian politics of our time. Here’s what Jayanthi Jaisimha, wife of the late M.L. Jaisimha — another larger-than-life cricketer from the Pataudi era — tells us: ‘’I find this really unfair but then, I am biased. Tiger and my husband were great friends but to be honest, one could have done it in different ways. What about awarding a Tendulkar trophy to the top scorer of the series and an Anderson Trophy to the highest wicket taker?’’

The fact that such a move is threatening to open up a chasm between two generations of Indian cricket fans is obvious, though some like Farokh Engineer, recovering from a heart surgery, refrained from commenting on the controversy. Saad Bin Jung, a former cricketer of Hyderabad in the 1970s related to Tiger’s family (his grandmother and Mansoor Ali Khan were siblings), pulled no punches though in a Facebook post.

Saad wrote: ‘’I wonder why one cricketer is allowing a trophy named after a former Indian Test captain to be named after him? Shows a complete lack of respect for the cricketing fraternity and his senior in Test cricket. Just shows how desperate people get for fame. Any kind of fame even at the cost of those who captained India before them. You have fallen badly in my eyes and in the eyes of the entire cricket fraternity.’’

Sanjay Jha, a former editor, author and politician, has not shied away from tagging Tendulkar in his remarks in an X post either. ‘’Dear @sachin_rt: It is you who should have opposed the Nawab of Pataudi Trophy (India-England Test series) being renamed as Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Your silence is deafening. Shame on you @bcci for destroying a great historical heritage,’’ he posted.

A lot of the angst, by default, is directed at Tendulkar as he is the Indian face of this rebranding while English cricket is soaking in the moment. ‘’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,” said Anderson, owner of 704 Test wickets from a record 188 Tests.

For someone like Ayaz Memon, cricket columnist and commentator, it’s the bigger picture of trying to rebrand such big prizes from time to time which is questionable. ‘’Is it a new trend to disregard history? Is it the BCCI’s brainchild, for as far as I know Sachin, he would never have asked for it”.