‘It’s a huge honour’: James Anderson on India-England Test series being named after him

LONDON: Former right-arm seamer James Anderson said that it was a “huge honour” that the Test series between India and England has been named after him and India’s legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar.

Cricketing legends Tendulkar and Anderson will now have a special place in the India-England Test rivalry, as the two boards — BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and ECB (England and Wales Cricket Board) — have decided to name the Test series between the two countries on them (Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy).

‘Still can’t quite believe it’

James Anderson on the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy #ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/KpVDPhGjTW

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) June 9, 2025

Previously, the Test series in England was known as the Pataudi Trophy, named after former India captain Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi. When the series was played in India, it was called the Anthony de Mello Trophy, in honour of one of the BCCI’s founding members and its first secretary and president.

The new trophy will be officially unveiled by Tendulkar and Anderson at Lord’s during the World Test Championship (WTC) final, which begins on June 11. This change comes just ahead of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle, with India and England set to play a five-match Test series starting June 20 at Headingley in Leeds.

Speaking during a DP World event at Lord’s, Anderson told ESPNcricinfo, “It’s a huge honour. I still can’t quite believe it. Sachin is someone I looked up to when I was growing up, though I don’t want to do him a disservice with his age. I remember watching him, an absolute legend of the game, and I played against him a lot as well. So to have this trophy is a huge honour for me, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

Anderson, who recently retired after playing 188 Tests, is regarded as England’s greatest fast bowler. Tendulkar, widely considered one of the greatest batters in the game’s history, played 200 Tests before retiring in 2013.

India tour of England will take place from June to August 2025, with matches to be played at Headingley (Leeds), Edgbaston (Birmingham), Lord’s (London), Old Trafford (Manchester), and The Oval (London).

This will be India’s first bilateral series since both Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli announced their retirement from Test cricket earlier this month.

England squad for the 1st Test: Ben Stokes (C), Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Sam Cook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Jamie Overton, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes.

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. (ANI)