James Anderson and Sachin Tendulkar. (Photo source: X)
England legend James Anderson expressed immense pride in being associated with the Test series between England and India, after the decision by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to rename the series in honour of both him and Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar.
The newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will replace the Pataudi Trophy, ahead of the upcoming five-match Test series, which is set to begin on June 20 at Headingley. Both former players are expected to attend the official unveiling of the trophy during the World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
“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,” said Anderson as quoted by 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,” he added.
The combined longevity of their careers spanned over 35 years, from Tendulkar’s Test debut as a 16-year-old in 1989 to Anderson’s farewell on the eve of his 42nd birthday last year. The two legends faced each other in Test cricket on 14 occasions between 2006 and 2012, during which Anderson dismissed Tendulkar nine times.
“Time flies, I’m playing with guys at Lancashire at the moment, and I had 50 Test wickets before they were born. It’s a bit strange how things work out,” said Anderson.
During his 21-year Test career, Anderson claimed more wickets against India than any other Test playing nation, taking 149 wickets at an average of 25.47 across 39 matches. He played a pivotal role in England’s win in Mumbai during the 2005–06 series, as well as in back-to-back series victories both at home and away in 2011 and 2012–13, which took England to the No.1 spot in the ICC Test rankings.
“There are some great memories, I always loved playing against India. I’d say, after the Ashes, it was the series that England look forward to the most. I obviously had some tough times in India, it’s a really hard place to go, but we won there which was a really special moment, and some of the battles we had in England were great. They had some amazing players,” Anderson conceded.
The series is going to be fierce: Anderson
The right-arm pacer believes the inaugural edition of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy will be fierce, comparing the intensity of India’s last tour of England three years ago, a series that ended 2-2 after the final Test was postponed by a year due to COVID-19.
“This series is going to be exactly the same as you’d expect. I know India are going through a little bit of change with a new captain [Shubman Gill], and losing [Virat] Kohli and [Rohit] Sharma, but I still think they’ve got a strong squad with some really exciting players. England obviously are trying to play a certain way. It lends itself to a really exciting series,” Anderson concluded.
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