Ind vs Eng Test series: I don’t need to respond to other people’s opinion, says Tendulkar
Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson pose with the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy on Thursday. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement Ever since the Pataudi Trophy was retired in March and the decision to found a new trophy for India’s Test series in England as the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, it has led to voices of dissent from various quarters. Also Read | England want to have a good surface to hit through the line against India: Leeds curator While some of the legends of the game have questioned a move to do away with the legacy of the game, the Indian in question – Sachin Tendulkar – had remained silent. On the eve of the Tendulkar-Anderson Trophy, Tendulkar broke his silence and also hoped for Shubman Gill to fire at number four. Excerpts For a young teen who travelled on his first overseas tour along with Kailash Gattani’s Star Cricket Club to England as a 14-year-old, what does it mean for you personally that the England versus India trophy has been jointly named after you? Well, it means a lot. There were many firsts which happened in England. The first flight of my life was to England in 1988, like you put it correctly, with Star Cricket Club; then the first international hundred was in 1990. The first time any non-Yorkshirite (cricketer) was picked to play for the county was in 1992. A lot of things happened in England for me. Also my personal life, which is marrying Anjali. Anjali’s mother (Annabel) is from England, so a lot of important things happened in my life at that time. And. When it comes to England, I think it’s played a big role in shaping me up as a cricketer. That exposure at the right time in my career was so important and that allowed me to think about the game differently and gave me a lot of exposure to the conditions I was not familiar with. Playing in Headingley (for Yorkshire) was a different experience altogether and I loved it. I loved more because of the kind of support that I got, the way people received me, even off the field wherever I went and the county team also, the committee members. Everyone was supportive and overall the environment was very friendly and I enjoyed being there. There seems to be a conscious effort to tone down the celebrations in the aftermath of the tragic plane crash in Ahmedabad? It should not be compared to anything… The tragedy that happened was sheart-melting, you know… really… I fall short of words to express what I feel. It wasn’t something that one would want to ever hear about. We were to have a big opening for this, the launch of the trophy, and we didn’t want to because we were not in the frame of mind to do it. We just didn’t want to celebrate and that’s why we did not. What about the voices of dissent or objections raised to the move of renaming the trophy? It’s their call. But if I have to, if I have to put my side across, then when the trophy was retired, which was way earlier and the decision was taken by ECB and BCCI. And then later, after a couple of months, when I was informed that the trophy is going to be named after me and Anderson, it came as a pleasant surprise to me. I was also told that this is a completely new trophy. It has got nothing to do with the earlier Pataudi Trophy. To me, it was a recognition of our contribution to our respective nations in Test cricket, so it did feel nice. The first phone call after knowing this I made was to the Pataudi family. I spoke to them and also spoke about keeping the Pataudi legacy alive, and I said that I have always respected my seniors and I’ll do everything possible to keep the legacy alive. Just give me some time and I’ll come back to you. After that, I called Mr. Jay Shah (ICC chair), BCCI and ECB and we shared some ideas and few phone calls were made after that. We unanimously agreed and very graciously, Mr Jay Shah, BCCI and EEC, agreed to introduce this Pataudi Medal of Excellence and that medal be given to the winning captain. It’s a good match because he was known for his leadership. And we felt that this will keep the legacy alive because they had already retired the trophy and we were able to keep the legacy alive, which is a positive outcome along with the naming of this trophy, after myself and Anderson. The decision was taken by ECB and BCCI, so if I was able to put this idea in Mr Jay Shah’s head and ECB and BCCI, and they then graciously agreed to this is a positive outcome, is what I see. Did you get any chance to speak with Mr Gavaskar or Mr Kapil Dev since they have voiced their opinions on the issue? It’s only their opinion, without knowing the facts. I don’t want to get into that because I don’t think any one of them knew what I was doing. So I would leave it to them to say whatever they have to say. I don’t need to respond to that. For a team in transition in India, what will be your advice to the batters who will be touring England for the first or second time? When it comes to playing in England, I think the most important thing is to understand the length of the ball. Of course, people keep talking about the line also, but it is equally important to pick the length of the ball. Why I am saying that is because when you are playing in England, your front-foot defence becomes the most critical factor. When you are playing with the vertical bat, your hands should be close to your body. Your hands should not go away from the body. With the…