The upcoming Test series between England and India will now be known as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, as announced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The trophy honours cricket legends James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar, who collectively participated in 388 Test matches.
This change will be unveiled at Lord’s during the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which kicks off on 11th June. The series at Headingley, starting 20th June, marks the beginning of the new WTC cycle.
Anderson, who stepped down last July after playing 188 Tests, and Tendulkar, who retired in 2013 with 200 Tests to his name, will both be present at the unveiling ceremony. Although the precise motivation for the name change remains unspecified, it’s likely aimed at providing a consistent identity for the Test series played in either country.
Previously, when the series took place in England, it was called the Pataudi Trophy, after former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. In India, it was known as the Anthony de Mello Trophy, named in honour of a key founding figure of the BCCI.
This rebranding follows a trend of renaming cricket series to honour distinguished players. The Crowe-Thorpe Trophy for the England-New Zealand series was established in November 2024, and the contests between India and Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy are well-known examples.
