India and England have played a big role in shaping Test cricket: Tendulkar

Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar and England's pace icon James Anderson have been immortalised in one of Test cricket's most storied rivalries, with the unveiling of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy as the new prize for bilateral Test series between India and England.

- STATESMAN NEWS SERVICE

On the eve of the first of the five-Test series, starting in Leeds on Friday, the new trophy was launched in the presence of both the legendary cricketers. The Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, a joint initiative between the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), will now represent all future Test series between England and India. Previously, the series in England was played for the Pataudi Trophy and the series in India for the Anthony De Mello Trophy.

The Pataudi family will continue to be honoured, with a newly commissioned Pataudi Medal to be presented to the winning captain of each England-India Test series.

The new trophy features imagery of Anderson and Tendulkar in action, along with their engraved signatures—a fitting tribute to two of the game's most iconic figures. Both Anderson and Tendulkar are widely regarded as all-time greats. They are the most-capped players in the history of Test cricket: Tendulkar played 200 matches, and Anderson 188.

Anderson, considered one of the finest exponents of swing bowling, took 704 Test wickets, the most by a fast bowler in the format. The Lancashire seamer ranks third on the all-time list, behind only spinners Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Warne.