The friendship between Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar has seen its fair share of drama, with ups and downs that caught the attention of cricket fans many times. Kambli and Tendulkar have known each other since they were both just 10 years old.
But their bond shattered in a storm when Vinod shockingly accused his best friend of not supporting him during his tough times on a reality show. This led to years of coldness between the two, and when Sachin Tendulkar retired, Vinod Kambli was left out of his farewell speech and even missed a post-retirement celebration.
Vino Kambli’s criticism of Sachin Tendulkar’s batting and the consequences that destroyed their friendship
Despite this turbulent period, they spoke again and once again became good friends. However, this was not the first time Vinod Kambli defeated Sachin Tendulkar. Even Kambli used to detract from Tendulkar’s batting performance.
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Reflecting on Kambli’s unique character, former Indian cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar shared an interesting story about the 1992 World Cup, where his former teammate’s frustration at not being selected in the playing XI turned into harsh criticism towards his teammates, also including the Master Blaster.
The cricket expert shared that Tendulkar and himself were key players at that time, and Kambli, who was not in the eleven, constantly criticized their performances after the 1992 World Cup matches. Even when Tendulkar and Manjrekar formed a solid partnership in a match against Zimbabwe, Kambli’s criticism was relentless, questioning the pace of his game.
He didn’t even forgive Sachin: Sanjay Manjrekar on Vinod Kambli’s character
Sanjay Manjrekar described how Kambli, frustrated at not getting his chance, would target both him and Sachin Tendulkar, going so far as to criticize one of the greatest batsmen of all time for not being aggressive enough against weaker bowlers. The commentator revealed that Vinod Kambli is one of the few people who could upset even the legendary Tendulkar.
Sanjay Manjrekar said in Sportskeeda three years ago: “This story is from the 1992 World Cup, when Vinod Kambli was in the Indian World Cup team. Kambli is someone who you know is a character and he was very friendly to me and Sachin. He did not play in the first World Cup games. His mood was bad; I was a little upset. Sachin and I were the two established players, so we had all the matches. But after every game, when we met, he came after us. He would criticize; ‘What is this batting? You could have played faster.’ He didn’t even forgive Sachin.”
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He further recalled: “In a match against Zimbabwe, Sachin and I had a good partnership. It was a small goal and we won the game. Despite that, at night, Kambli said again: ‘The game and everything is fine; but we could have won it much sooner. He told Sachin: ‘John Traicos is an ordinary bowler. You could have knocked him off the ground; you were taking singles.’ Sachin said, “Our aim was to win the match.” But Vinod did not learn. If there is one person who could upset Sachin, it is Vinod Kambli.”
Former players lend support to Kambli amid growing health concerns
Recently, Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and the 1983 World Cup-winning team came forward to support Vinod Kambli, following growing concerns over his physical and mental health. Kambli recently attended a function at Mumbai’s Shivaji Park to pay tribute to his former coach, the late Ramakant Achrekar, who was a mentor to both him and Sachin Tendulkar.
During the event, videos emerged on social media showing Kambli struggling to stand, speak clearly and maintain his composure, leaving many concerned. After that, the former Indian captains came out to support the former Indian batsman.