The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is reportedly planning to retire the Pataudi Trophy, which is awarded to the victor of the Test series between India and England held in England. This change is expected to take effect before the upcoming series in June-July, during which the team led by Rohit Sharma will visit England for five Test matches. This decision has caused distress for Bollywood actress Sharmila Tagore.

The ECB has communicated with Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan, the son of the late Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, who was a former captain of India, regarding the retirement of the trophy. Sharmila Tagore informed Hindustan Times, "I haven't received any communication from them, but the ECB has sent a letter to Saif about retiring the trophy. It is up to the BCCI to decide whether they wish to honor Tiger's legacy or not."

While the decision has not been officially announced, the BCCI has not provided any comments on the matter.

The Pataudi Trophy was first introduced in 2007 to celebrate 75 years of cricketing ties between India and England. Iftikhar Ali Khan Pataudi, known as Tiger's father, represented both England and India in Test matches from 1932 to 1946. Tiger himself played 46 Tests for India from 1961 to 1975.

This is not the first instance in which Sharmila has felt disappointed by the ECB.

"The English team was taken away for photo opportunities and celebrations, leaving Tiger standing by the trophy. Andrew Strauss, who was the English captain at that time, noticed Tiger's uncertainty and approached him.

"Tiger handed the trophy to him, but this moment was neither captured in photographs nor broadcast. This occurred in August, during our visit to London at the ECB's invitation for the Pataudi Trophy presentation. We were understandably perplexed that the events did not unfold as anticipated, especially so close to the official lunchtime on the same day as the match.

"Upon our return to India, Tiger fell ill and was hospitalized. He passed away in September. Our family had other pressing matters to attend to at that time, which prevented us from focusing on this issue," she shared with Sportstar in 2018.

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