Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar will always remain two of the most talented players to come out of the Mumbai school cricketing circles. Sachin and Vinod stitched a record 664-run partnership while playing for Shardashram Vidya Mandir against St. Xavier’s in Harris Shield on February 24, 1988.
That partnership made headlines in India and it helped the duo hog the limelight at an early age. Sachin made his India debut in November 1989 in Pakistan whereas Kambli had to wait for his turn a little longer.
The southpaw made his debut for India against England at the Eden Gardens in January 1993. Kambli made a promising start to his career and played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs for India before running out of luck.
His last Test appearance came against New Zealand in Cuttack in November 1995 whereas he last played an ODI for the country against Sri Lanka at Sharjah in October 2000. Kambli was never picked for India again whereas Tendulkar’s name became an inseparable part of cricketing folklore.
When the trajectory of their careers went to the opposite ends of the spectrum, rumours started circulating that all was not well between the two. However, Kambli has finally broken his silence on the matter and opened up about his relationship with the Master Blaster.
“At that time, it came to my mind that Sachin didn’t help. I was extremely frustrated. But Sachin did everything for me, including paying for my two surgeries in 2013. We spoke, and childhood friendship came forward,” said Kambli on The Vickey Lalwani Show.
Kambli also credited Sachin for improvement in his game and remained a constant source of support as he made several comebacks into the Indian team.
“Sachin told me how to play. I made nine comebacks. We are cricketers; we get hurt. When we get out, we also get hurt,” the 52-year-old added.