Cricketing legend Sunil Gavaskar has openly criticized the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for its decision to retire the Pataudi Trophy, a symbol of cricketing heritage awarded to the winner of the India-England Test series played in England. The trophy, first introduced in 2007 to commemorate 75 years of cricketing ties between the two nations, holds historical significance as it honours Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, the former Indian captain affectionately known as ‘Tiger’ Pataudi.
The decision, which is expected to take effect ahead of the upcoming five-Test series between India and England scheduled for June-July, has already been communicated to Pataudi’s family. Actor Saif Ali Khan, the son of the late cricketer, was reportedly informed by the ECB about their intention to retire the trophy.
In his column for a sports magazine, Sunil Gavaskar voiced his disappointment without holding back. “The recent news that the ECB is going to retire the Pataudi Trophy, given to the winners of the Test series between England and India in England, is disturbing indeed. This is the first time one has heard of a trophy named after individual players being retired, though the decision is entirely the ECB’s, and the BCCI may well have been informed,” he wrote.
Highlighting the symbolic importance of the Pataudi legacy to both English and Indian cricket, Gavaskar continued, “It shows a total lack of sensitivity to the contribution made by the Pataudis to cricket in both England and India.”
He further appealed to contemporary Indian cricketers, asking them to respect the legacy and not agree to lend their names to any new trophy in place of the Pataudis. “Here’s hoping that if an Indian player has been approached, he will have the good sense to politely decline — not only out of respect for two former India captains but also to avoid the same fate of having a trophy named after him retired after he is gone,” he stated.
Gavaskar’s impassioned stance underlines a broader concern—how cricket’s modern institutions sometimes overlook the historical and emotional weight carried by such symbolic honours.
