Sunil Gavaskar Slams ECB After Sachin and Anderson Miss Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Ceremony

India edged past England by 6 runs in a thrilling fifth Test at The Oval to level the series 2-2, but the post-match scenes sparked a debate.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar has criticised the ECB for not including Sachin Tendulkar and James Anderson in the presentation of the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy.

The series, named after the two legends, ended in a draw. Gavaskar said it would have been appropriate for both to hand over the trophy to the captains, as both were in England during the match.

“This was the series named after Sachin Tendulkar and Jimmy Anderson. One would have expected them to be present to hand the trophy to the two skippers since the series ended in a draw. Both were in England. So, were they not invited?” Gavaskar wrote in his Sportstar column.

He even drew parallels with the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, where he was absent from the presentation because Australia won. “Since the series in England was drawn, neither was asked to attend the presentation,” he said.

A tense finish at The Oval

Chasing 374, England were in control thanks to centuries from Joe Root and Harry Brook. But Mohammed Siraj turned the game on its head on Day 5, taking five wickets. England needed just 35 runs with four wickets left, but India bowled them out for 367.