England-India Test series likely to be rebranded as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy

On June 20, India will embark on a five-match Test series trip of England.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) have agreed to rename the Test series between England and India as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, ensuring that the names of cricketing greats Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson will live on in history.

The newly titled trophy will be unveiled by Tendulkar and Anderson at Lord’s during the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final, which starts on June 11. On June 20, the first Test will begin at Headingley.

The announcement was made prior to England and India’s five-match Test series, which will kick off the new WTC cycle.

Although the official justification for the trophy’s renaming has not yet been made public, it is thought that both boards wanted to establish uniformity by using the same name for the trophy regardless of the location of the series.

The Pataudi Trophy, named for former Indian captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, was the previous name of the series contested in England. It was called as the Anthony de Mello Trophy when it was played in India in commemoration of one of the pioneers of Indian cricket administration, who presided over the BCCI as its president and secretary from 1946–1947 until 1950–1951.

In November 2024, the England vs. New Zealand series was renamed the Crowe-Thorpe Trophy in commemoration of Martin Crowe and Graham Thorpe. This change follows a similar formula. Similarly, cricketing legends Allan Border and Sunil Gavaskar are honoured with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which is the name of the India-Australia Test series.

In 200 Test matches, the Indian great Tendulkar amassed 15,921 runs at an average of 53.78, including 51 hundreds. With 704 wickets in 188 games, including three 10-wicket match hauls and 32 five-wicket hauls, Anderson is the most successful fast bowler in Test history.

Shubman Gill, who was recently named Test captain, will lead India in the forthcoming England series. Rishabh Pant will be his deputy. One of the newest Indian Test teams to ever play in England is the touring team.