Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi aur unke bete Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi ke naam par rakha gaya yeh trophy cricket ke itihas ka ek aham hissa tha. Sunil Gavaskar jaise mahaan khiladi ne bhi is baat par dukh jataya aur ECB ke is faisle ko Pataudi khandaan ke yogdaan ke liye “insensitive” kaha. Sharmila Tagore, jo Tiger Pataudi ki patni rahi, ne bhi is par apni naraazgi dikhayi. Yeh ek aisa kadam hai jo cricket ke purane fans ke dil mein chubh sakta hai, kyunki Pataudi Trophy na sirf ek naam tha, balki ek virasat thi jo dono deshon ke cricket ke bandhan ko darshati thi.
Lekin jab baat aati hai naye trophy ki, toh dil mein ek alag si khushi jagti hai. Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy ka naam sunte hi dono khiladiyon ki woh yaadein taaza ho jati hain jo cricket ke maidaan par unhone banayi. Sachin Tendulkar, jinhone 200 Test matches mein 15,921 runs banaye, aaj bhi Test cricket ke sabse bade run-scorer hain. Unke 51 centuries aur England ke khilaaf 7 shatakon ne unhe ek afsana bana diya. Dusri taraf, James Anderson, jinhone 704 wickets lekar pace bowling ka ek naya itihas likha, England ke sabse bade wicket-taker hain. Anderson ne Tendulkar ko 14 Test matches mein 9 baar out kiya, jo kisi bhi bowler ke liye sabse zyada hai. Yeh dono khiladi na sirf apne desh ke liye, balki poore cricket jagat ke liye prerna rahe hain.
Is trophy ka aagaz ek nayi shuruaat hai. 20 June 2025 se shuru hone wali five-match Test series, jo Headingley, Leeds se shuru hogi, dono deshon ke cricket ke josh ko naye rang mein pesh karegi. Anderson ne khud kaha, “Sachin ko maine hamesha ek legend ke roop mein dekha. Unke saath mera naam judna ek bada samman hai.” Yeh baat unke dil se nikli, jab unhone Lord’s mein DP World event ke dauraan ESPNcricinfo se baat ki. Sachin aur Anderson ka yeh trophy World Test Championship ke naye cycle ka ek shandaar aghaaz hai, aur dono khiladi is trophy ko 11 June 2025 ko Lord’s mein WTC final ke dauraan unveil karenge.
Yaad karte hain kuch purane matches jo in dono ke jadoo ko darshate hain. 2011 mein England ne India ke khilaaf 4-0 se Test series jeeti thi, aur Anderson ka isme bada haath tha. Unhone us series mein 21 wickets liye, jisme Sachin ka wicket bhi shamil tha. Dusri taraf, Sachin ne 2007 mein England ke khilaaf Nottingham mein 91 runs ki ek shandaar inning kheli thi, jise aaj bhi fans yaad karte hain. Yeh dono khiladi ek doosre ke khilaaf khelte hue hamesha ek alag hi rang lekar aaye. Anderson ne ek baar kaha tha, “Sachin ke khilaaf bowling karte waqt main sochta tha ki ek bhi galat ball nahi daal sakta.” Yeh unki sachchai aur Tendulkar ke aage unka sammaan dikhata hai.
Cricket ke itihas mein aise kai pal hain jo is trophy ke mahatva ko aur bhi roshan karte hain. Jaise 1983 ka World Cup, jab Kapil Dev ki team ne West Indies ko hara kar India ka naam roshan kiya tha. Ya phir 2001 mein Kolkata mein VVS Laxman aur Rahul Dravid ki 376 runs ki partnership, jisne Australia ke khilaaf ek naamumkin jeet dilayi. Yeh pal cricket ke fans ke dil mein hamesha zinda rahenge, aur ab Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy bhi aise hi ek yaadgar kahani ka hissa banega.
Lekin is sab ke bawajood, ek baat dil ko kuredti hai. Pataudi Trophy ka naam badalna kya sach mein zaroori tha? Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, jo dono deshon ke liye khele, aur Tiger Pataudi, jinhone India ke sabse kam umar ke captain ke roop mein team ko nayi disha di, unki virasat ko ek taraf karna shayad cricket ke itihas ke saath thodi si na-insaafi hai. Sunil Gavaskar ne bhi yahi kaha ki agar koi Indian khiladi is naye trophy ke liye apna naam dene ke liye kaha jata hai, toh unhe inkaar kar dena chahiye, taki Pataudi khandaan ke yogdaan ka sammaan bana rahe. Yeh trophy bhale hi do mahaan khiladiyon ke naam par ho, lekin purani yaadon ko mitane ki keemat par nayi yaadein banana shayad thoda sa khalish chhod jata hai.
