Gill at No. 4, it's a great position to bat

After a lot of deliberation since the Pataudi Trophy was retired, all future Test matches between India and England will be played for the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

- Rasesh Mandani

MUMBAI: Their signatures engraved, the trophy also features images of Anderson and Tendulkar, the two most capped Test players in action. In this interview Tendulkar talks about the honour, his role in carrying forward Pataudi's legacy and India's prospects in the five-Test series beginning on Friday under young captain Shubman Gill. Excerpts:

How proud are you to have a trophy named with Anderson for a series where it all began for you?

It feels great. I was not expecting this honour. A lot of things have happened for me in England. The first flight I took in my life was travelling to London with Star Cricket Club in 1988. The first hundred I scored was in England in 1990 at Old Trafford. I became the first non-Yorkshireite to play for the county in 1992. I surpassed Sir Don Bradman's record of most centuries at Headingley in 2002. Now to know that the trophy is named after me and Anderson is a huge honour.

How important was it for you to protect the Pataudi legacy?