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The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) had commissioned the Pataudi Trophy way back in 2007 in honour of the former Indian cricketer, to be presented to the winning captain at the end of future England-India Test series.
It was conceived to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series that took place in 1932, but the BCCI has still not given its official stamp of approval to the naming of the trophy.
Sharmila, in her email sent to Srinivasan on November 2, had also written on the delay in formalising a Pataudi Memorial Lecture in the late cricketer's honour and its reluctance in resolving a few legal issues involving her late husband, a former Indian captain.
"Prof (Ratnakar) Shetty has written to me and I had written back to Mr Srinivasan asking him whether the family has any role to play, whether we can suggest a speaker. To which he had replied that the family will not have any role to play but it will happen every year...it is at the time when BCCI honours every player.
"It has been more than a year or so, and that is where it stands now. No response, nobody has called me. I have given them my number. They might be busy. I don't know but no one has called me or written back to me," said Sharmila Tagore.
"I have sent a word to them via friends, so I don't know what they are thinking. I would be happy if they let me know whether it is happening or not, so I won't pursue it then," she added.
Pataudi, who had played 46 Tests for India and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91, passed away on September 22, 2011. He captained India in 40 Tests.
Responding to Sharmila's letter, top BCCI official Rajiv Shukla said that the matter was under consideration.
"Sharmila Tagore has written to the BCCI president, Mr Srinivasan. She had sent an email to him requesting him to name the India-England Trophy after her late husband who was great cricketer and her son, Saif Ali Khan, has spoken to me twice requesting the series to be named after his father.
"The matter is in domain of the BCCI president and BCCI working committee. They will have to look into several aspects before coming to any decision. I think the matter is under consideration," said Shukla.
Defiant BCCI refuses to give-in to Sharmila demand
In response to actress Sharmila Tagore's plea to name the India-England Test series after her late husband Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, the Cricket Board today made it clear that it could not change the name since the series is played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951.
"India-England Test Series in India is played for the Anthony De Mello trophy instituted in 1951 in the name of the first secretary of the BCCI, recognising his contribution to Indian cricket," BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale said in a statement.
The Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) had commissioned the Pataudi Trophy way back in 2007 in honour of the former Indian cricketer, to be presented to the winning captain at the end of future England-India Test series.
It was conceived to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the first-ever India-England Test series that took place in 1932, but the BCCI did not give its official stamp of approval to the naming of the trophy, and Sharmila, in her email sent to BCCI president N Srinivasan on November 2, had expressed her disappointment.
"In 2007, when MCC proposed the institution of Pataudi Trophy for England-India series, the BCCI had clarified that the trophy is already named after Anthony De Mello," the statement further added.
Sharmila had also written on the delay in formalising a Pataudi Memorial Lecture in the late cricketer's honour and its reluctance in resolving a few legal issues involving her late husband, a former Indian captain.
Pataudi, who had played 46 Tests for India and scored 2793 runs at an average of 34.91, passed away on September 22, 2011. He captained India in 40 Tests.
Request should have come from Cricketers or cricketing bodies.Not from you SHARMILA BEGUM PATAUDI
It is time truth about his involvement of match fixing comes out.
Is the lady called Sharmila Tagore even after her conversion from Hinduism to Islam (just before her marriage to Mansur ALi kHan Pataudi in December 1969)? Begum Ayesha Sultana (Sharmila's post-conversion name) was the Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification, which is a statutory body under the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, from 13th October 2004 to 31st March 2011. During that tenure, her son Sajid Ali Khan aka Saif Ali Khan received two government awards - the National Film Award for Best Actor in 2004 and the Padma Shri in 2010. Incidentally, there was a police complaint against Sajid/Saif in 2008 for asking his guards to assault a photographer (Pawan Sharma) at Patiala Railway Station. Last month many newspapers have speculated the possibility of her getting a nomination for membership of the Rajya Sabha.
They have to do the naming of the match before the match. And are all old cricketers honored by BCCI? Do they find time for such events after their wheeling dealing?
does it really matter. I want to see the game and hardly care whos name on the trophy. If Mrs tagore is sponsering the event and paying for my ticket, heck I will support her cause
Sharmila's Tagore's request seems justifiable. The great Tiger should be honored that way.
