Ind vs Eng Test series: Pataudi legacy to live on in India-England Test rivalry

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The Pataudi legacy will continue to be a part of the India-England Test series, as the captain of the winning side in the upcoming five-match contest will be awarded a special medal named in honour of the royal family.

The development comes in the wake of the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (ECB) decision to rename the Pataudi Trophy as the Tendulkar-Anderson trophy, a move that sparked backlash, notably from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar, who himself has a Test series named in his honour.

However, the situation took a respectful turn when Sachin Tendulkar reportedly reached out to the ECB, expressing that the Pataudi name should remain associated with the iconic rivalry. ICC chairman Jay Shah is also understood to have played a key role in ensuring the legacy of the Pataudis is preserved.

“When this happened Sachin reached out to ECB and conveyed that Pataudi name should remain a part of the India-England rivalry. Mr Jay Shah was involved in the discussions. ECB has agreed to the request and decided to present Pataudi Medal to the winning captain,” said a BCCI source.

The formal announcement on the remaining of the trophy is scheduled to be made on June 19.

Notably, Tendulkar is the leading run-scorer in the longest format of the game, whereas James Anderson remains the pacer with the most Test wickets under his belt. The Pataudis, on the other hand, 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.

The five-match Test series will take place from June 20 to August 4, with matches scheduled at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord`s and The Oval (London), and Old Trafford (Manchester).

India`s Test squad for England series: Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (vc), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav.

England squad for first Test vs India: Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith (wk), Ben Stokes (capt), Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

(With PTI Inputs)

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