Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy: It doesn't get bigger in Test cricket

A trophy bearing Sachin Tendulkar's name is one of the infinite ways cricket recognizes its biggest modern promoter.

- Somshuvra Laha

KOLKATA: Sharing that honour with James Anderson makes the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy more than just a prize for the Test series involving India's oldest rivals. It's a symbol of a shared era, their careers collectively spanning 35 years and nearly 388 Tests, a phase that shaped Test cricket's modern landscape through dogged battles of skill and determination. So as far as icons go, it can't really get bigger than Tendulkar and Anderson.

They are also the two most capped players in the history of the game, a record that will probably stand the test of time. Most Test runs, most Test wickets, with a head-to-head that very few individual battles have produced. Anderson has dismissed Tendulkar nine times in Test cricket—more than any other bowler. But those dismissals also came over 533 deliveries, with Tendulkar scoring 339 runs off Anderson, giving him a strike rate of nearly 64, scintillating by the standards of over a decade ago.