The name of the Pataudi Trophy was changed to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which drew a lot of flak. Despite the controversy surrounding the England Cricket Board's decision to replace the iconic Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi's name on the trophy with the names of two greats – Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson – the move proceeded as planned. Sunil Gavaskar was unhappy with the choice because he thought the rebranding was unnecessary. Former Indian cricketer Farokh Engineer, who partially agreed with Gavaskar's ideas, has now weighed in on the subject and offered his opinion.

The ECB created the Pataudi medal in an attempt to lessen the severity of the injury, but only after Tendulkar and the BCCI intervened to protect the Pataudi legacy. The recently created medal, which will be awarded to the winning captain, is merely a recompense intended to appease fans of Pataudi, according to the engineer.

"Tiger Pataudi was a close friend of mine. My wonderful coworker. We played a lot of Test cricket. A fantastic family and heritage. The trophy being named after him in 2007 made me the happiest. On the one hand, I was extremely saddened by the removal of the Pataudi name. I would have liked Tiger's name to be listed, but instead, the powers that be made the decision alongside Anderson and Sachin, who are titans of the sport, Engineer told PTI.

"It (the introduction of the Pataudi medal) was clearly an afterthought; they should have announced it earlier, which would have been more believable, but at least they did anything. Common sense has prevailed, and I hope the Pataudi name continues to exist forever.

To commemorate 75 years of close cricketing ties between India and England, the series between the two countries, which was played in the United Kingdom, was given the name Pataudi Trophy in 2007. The Pataudi name is very important in India-England cricket relations: Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi and his son Mansur both captained India and played county cricket in England. Engineer himself relocated to England in the 1960s, where he became well-known for playing for Lancashire at Old Trafford. Regarding the two names after which the trophy has been named, Engineer has no animosity toward Tendulkar or Anderson and hopes that the least the ECB can do is extend an invitation to Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan to give the prize.

Engineer to ECB: 'Invite Sharmila Tagore and Saif Ali Khan'

"It is impossible to dispute Tendulkar and Anderson's accomplishments. The narrative has two sides. The medal is given in memory of the Pataudis, which is a kind gesture. Although it's probably a backup plan to satisfy many Pataudi fans—of which I am one—you can't hold them accountable for naming the trophy after Sachin and Anderson, Engineer stated.

"They have kept the name, even if the entire subject is debatable." I would want to see Mansur's wife Sharmila Tagore and his son Saif Ali Khan give the medal. They didn't accomplish that in the previous series, and the finger was pointed at the ECB for it. They deserve all the respect they get.

Between 1961 and 1975, Engineer represented India in 46 Test matches and 5 ODIs.

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