James Anderson has opened up about his feelings on sharing the title of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy with legendary Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar. Despite being one of the game’s most successful fast bowlers, Anderson admitted that the honour feels somewhat unusual for him. He stated that he feels overwhelmed by the honour and feels out of the place in doing so.
The ongoing England-India Test series is the first to be played under the newly named Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Previously, the Pataudi Trophy was contested during series hosted in England. The change was made by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) ahead of the current five-match series, with England currently leading 2-1 going into the fourth Test in Manchester.
Speaking on Sky Cricket, Anderson said, “I feel completely out of place when I see myself alongside him with the trophy. As I said, I hold him in such high regard.”
He further elaborated on the surreal nature of hearing praise for his achievements. “It is strange that when people talk about what I have achieved in cricket, like when I hear about it, as if someone’s talking about someone else, if that makes sense. Like I don’t feel it is me who has achieved all this. It sounds really strange, but that is how my head works. I just can’t quite believe the things that come with playing such a long time.”
Despite taking 991 international wickets and cementing his place as one of the greatest pacers in cricket history, Anderson finds it hard to accept being placed on the same pedestal as Tendulkar. He retired from international cricket in July 2024 after playing his final Test against the West Indies at Lord’s and was last seen representing Lancashire in the County Championship. England are currently leading the series after a narrow 22-run win in the third Test at Lord’s. The fourth Test is scheduled to begin on July 23 at Old Trafford. For India, led by Shubman Gill, the match is a must-win to keep their series hopes alive. A win for England would secure the series, making the upcoming game crucial for both sides.
India’s Squad – Shubman Gill (c), Rishabh Pant (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, KL Rahul, Sai Sudharsan, Abhimanyu Easwaran, Karun Nair, Nitish Reddy, Ravindra Jadeja, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Akash Deep, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav
England Squad for the Remaining Tests:
Ben Stokes (Captain), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Zak Crawley, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Ollie Pope, Joe Root, Jamie Smith, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes
