Legendary India all-rounder Kapil Dev on Wednesday expressed his surprise at the renaming of the Pataudi Trophy into the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, calling the decision “strange.”
Hosts England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) recently rechristened the Pataudi Trophy — awarded to the winner of the Test series hosted by England against India — as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, in honour of the two legends of the game.
“It feels a little strange… like, does this also happen? But that’s okay, everything works in cricket.
“At the end of the day, there is no difference. Cricket is cricket. The cricket on the field should be the same,” Kapil said on the sidelines of an event organised by Three Sixty to commemorate his iconic unbeaten 175 during the 1983 World Cup match against Zimbabwe at Tunbridge Wells.
The rebranding of the trophy, which was earlier named in honour of former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi has drawn criticism from the likes of Sunil Gavaskar who called it disturbing.
The Pataudi Trophy was instituted in 2007 as the coveted prize for the winner of the series between the two teams on English soil.
The trophy is steeped in history as the Pataudis have deep ties to the India-England cricketing landscape. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur both captained India and both played county cricket in England.
While the name of the series has changed, the Pataudi legacy will still feature in some form — the captain of the winning team will now be awarded a special medal bearing the Pataudi name.
India, entering a new era in Test cricket without stalwarts Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli and R Ashwin, will begin a five-match series in England under the leadership of newly-appointed Shubman Gill.
Kapil advised the 25-year-old to express himself.
“There are no expectations. Just go, play, express yourself. That’s more important,” Kapil said.
June 18 marks the 42nd anniversary of Kapil’s magnificent hundred and Three Sixty, a premium homegrown lifestyle brand and design studio, celebrated the occasion by launching a limited edition item.
The 66-year-old brought the bat he used on that day at Tunbridge Wells where he lifted India from 17 for 5 to 266.
“I don’t have a lot of things about cricket. I have given them away but I do have this bat which is my daughter’s bat.
“It’s a special day for me but I don’t remember much about it. Those who are watching the game tend to remember it more about it than those playing it, because we are so focussed on playing the match,” Kapil said.
“But when people talk about it, it brings back memories and it feels very good.” Reflecting on the collaboration, Viaksh Gupta, Founder of Three Sixty said, “Greatness is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall. This partnership with Kapil Dev sir echoes our belief in resilience, excellence, and timeless craftsmanship.”
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
