The Pataudi Trophy, which is named after one of India’s greatest cricketing families, is given to the winner of the Test series between India and England. However, now news is that the BCCI and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) might discontinue the Pataudi Trophy, which is named in honour of the legendary cricketer Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and his father, Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi. While the final decision has not yet been made, buzz is that veteran Indian actress Sharmila Tagore is quite upset with this development.
It was in 2007 when the Pataudi Trophy was first introduced to mark 75 years of India and England’s first Test match back in 1932. The trophy is designed by Jocelyn Burton– a well-known silver and goldsmith– and it honours Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi and Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi’s great contributions to cricket.
Reports suggests that late Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi’s wife, Sharmila Tagore is very upset when she learned about this decision from her son, actor Saif Ali Khan. Saif received an official letter from the ECB about it. Though she hasn’t heard directly from the cricket boards, she feels it’s up to the BCCI to decide whether they want to continue honouring Tiger Pataudi’s legacy. For the unversed, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, was popularly known as ‘Tiger’ Pataudi. “If the BCCI wants to or does not want to remember Tiger’s (Mansoor Ali Khan) legacy, it is for them to decide,” Sharmila Tagore told the Hindustan Times.
All about Tiger Pataudi
Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, fondly called ‘Tiger’ Pataudi, was a right-handed Indian batsman and a medium-pace bowler. Son of cricketer Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi was considered one of the best fielders of his time. Unfortunately, his career changed forever when an accident in Hove permanently damaged his right eye, causing double vision. However with great grit and determination, he returned to cricket within six months and proved his never-say-die attitude. In 1968, he married Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore– their marriage was a union of two of India’s biggest passions— cricket and cinema.
