'Were they not invited?': Sunil Gavaskar slams ECB, questions Tendulkar, Anderson absence from Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy presentation

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Livid with the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson during the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy presentation, cricket great Sunil Gavaskar suggested that possibly the legends were not invited as the series ended in a draw. read more
Sunil Gavaskar has questioned the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson from the presentation ceremony for Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. Images: PTI/Reuters
Sunil Gavaskar has criticised the organisers over the absence of Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson from the trophy presentation during the inaugural Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, which ended in a 2-2 draw between India and England. The Pataudi Trophy was renamed to the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy earlier this year before the start of the five-match Test series between India and England.
However, both Tendulkar and Anderson were missing from the trophy presentation ceremony as Ben Stokes and Shubman Gill shared the trophy.
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Gavaskar questions Tendulkar, Anderson absence from the trophy ceremony
Gavaskar has questioned why the organisers, the England and Wales Cricket Board in this case, failed to invite the legends to the post-series ceremony. He added that, as this was the first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy, the legends should have been there.
'This was the first-ever series named after Sachin Tendulkar and Jimmy Anderson, two of cricket's greatest legends. One would have expected both to be present to give the trophy to the two captains, especially since the series ended in a draw. To the best of one's knowledge, both were in England at the time. So, were they simply not invited? Or was this similar to what happened in Australia earlier this year, when only Allan Border was asked to present the Border-Gavaskar Trophy because Australia had won the series? Since this England series was drawn, perhaps neither was asked to attend the presentation,' Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column.
Gavaskar also questioned the concept of the Pataudi Medal that was created after removing legendary Pataudi's name from the trophy. The Pataudi Medal for Excellence was to be handed to the winning captain, but as the series was drawn, both Gill and Stokes were awarded the medal.
Gavaskar questioned the concept of the medal in a drawn series, as it had to be shared. He also suggested that it should be given to the Player of the Series and not the winning captain.
'The drawn series showed how silly this idea was of trying to make up to the Pataudis by retiring the trophy named after them. Every time the series is drawn, the medal can't be presented, can it? Wouldn't it be better, therefore, to have the medal for the Man of the Series than give it to the winning team's captain? And what if the captain himself has had an ordinary series and had little impact on the result?' said Gavaskar.