The friendship between Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most storied relationships in Indian cricket. Having known each other since they were 10 years old, the duo played cricket together for over two decades, experiencing numerous highs and lows. However, their bond was not without its share of turbulence, as highlighted by former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar in a recent interview.
SOURCE : ZEE
Manjrekar recalled an incident from the 1992 World Cup that perfectly encapsulates Kambli’s unique personality and his ability to upset even the unflappable Tendulkar. “This story is from the 1992 World Cup when Vinod Kambli was in the Indian World Cup team. Kambli is someone you know is a character and he was very friendly with me and Sachin. In the first few matches of the World Cup, he wasn’t playing. His mood was off; he was a bit upset. Sachin and I were the two established players so we were getting all the matches. But after every match, when we would meet, he would come after us. He would criticise; ‘What is this batting? You could have played faster.’ He didn’t even spare Sachin,” Manjrekar said.
Source:- bbc news
Manjrekar further elaborated on a specific match against Zimbabwe, where he and Tendulkar had a good partnership and secured a win. Despite the victory, Kambli was not satisfied. “In a match against Zimbabwe, Sachin and I had a good partnership. It was a small target and we won the match. Despite that, in the evening, Kambli would again go like ‘The match and all is fine; but we could have won it a lot earlier.’ He told Sachin, ‘John Traicos is such an ordinary bowler. You could have hit him out of the ground; you were taking singles.’ Sachin said ‘our target was to win the match.’ But Vinod did not learn. If there is one person who could upset Sachin, that is Vinod Kambli,” Manjrekar recalled.
Kambli’s frustration stemmed from his exclusion from the playing XI in the initial matches of the World Cup. His mood was off, and he often vented his emotions at Tendulkar and Manjrekar. “Kambli is someone you know is a character and he was very friendly with me and Sachin. In the first few matches of the World Cup, he wasn’t playing. His mood was off; he was a bit upset. Sachin and I were the two established players so we were getting all the matches. But after every match, when we would meet, he would come after us. He would criticise; ‘What is this batting? You could have played faster.’ He didn’t even spare Sachin,” Manjrekar said.
Kambli finally got his chance to play in the high-pressure match against Pakistan. However, his performance fell short of expectations, as he managed only 24 runs off 41 balls. This gave Tendulkar and Manjrekar the opportunity to tease him. “This kept happening until Vinod finally got a chance in the India vs Pakistan match. And there he scored at a strike rate of 54 or 56. Sachin and I were looking at each other and saying ‘Let him come back’ and it’ll be our turn to get back at him. So after the match, we took Vinod in a corner and said ‘What happened? You hit such big sixes in the nets. What happened during the match?’ Then he says ‘they were bowling very tight.’ That was his simple explanation. So yeah, he was quite the character,” Manjrekar said.
The friendship between Kambli and Tendulkar hit rock bottom when Kambli accused his best friend of not supporting him through his lows during an Indian reality show. The impact was such that Sachin and Kambli didn’t speak for a few years. In fact, when Tendulkar retired, Kambli was snubbed from his speech, and Sachin even left his childhood friend out of a post-retirement get-together. Thankfully, the two bonded back and have been close again ever since.
Despite their ups and downs, the bond between Kambli and Tendulkar remains one of the most iconic friendships in Indian cricket. Their journey together, filled with memorable moments and challenges, continues to inspire cricket fans around the world.
Share your views in the comments
