'It Feels Little Strange…': Kapil Dev Breaks Silence On Renaming Of Pataudi Trophy – News18

Former India captain Kapil Dev has said that it feels a little strange to see the coveted Pataudi Trophy being renamed to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy ahead of India’s five-Test series against England starting June 20 at Leeds, wondering if something like that happens after such a long time.
Hosts England Cricket Board rechristened the Pataudi Trophy, awarded to the winner of the Test series hosted by England against India, as the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.
A formal announcement was due on the sidelines of the World Test Championship final at the Lord’s last week but it was put off in light of the horrific Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad.
The winning skipper of the five-match series will be presented with a medal named after the Pataudi family, which has a rich connection with cricket in both nations.
“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 Dev was quoted as saying at an event in New Delhi by PTI.
The renaming of the Pataudi Trophy, which was earlier named in honour of former India skipper Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, has drawn criticism from Sunil Gavaskar, who called it disturbing.
The Pataudi Trophy was instituted 18 years ago as the coveted prize for the winner of the series between the two sides on English soil.
The Pataudi Trophy is steeped in history as the family has deep ties to the India-England cricketing landscape.
Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur both led India, and both played county cricket in England.
While the name of the series has changed, the family’s legacy will still feature in some form, and the skipper of the winning side will now be awarded a special medal bearing the Pataudi name.
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According to reports, Tendulkar himself reached out to the England Cricket Board and expressed that the Pataudi name should remain a part of India-England cricket.
“When this happened, Sachin reached out to the ECB and conveyed that the Pataudi name should remain a part of the India-England rivalry. Mr Jay Shah was involved in the discussions," a BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI. 
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