Former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli recently made an emotional plea for help while sharing his financial struggles with the public and appealed to the authorities to offer him a cricket-related job so that he can give his family a stable life.
Once considered one of the talented cricketers in India, Kambli also revealed that his family was living off a Rs 30,000 monthly pension that he receives from the BCCI, which is not enough to meet the expenses in Mumbai.
"I am a retired cricketer, who is completely dependent on the pension from the BCCI. My only payment [source of income] at the moment is from the Board, for which I am really thankful and grateful. It takes care of my family,” Kambli told Mid-Day in an interview.
“I need assignments, where I can work with youngsters. I know Mumbai have retained Amol [Muzumdar] as their head coach, but if anywhere I am needed, I am there. I was seeking help from the MCA [Mumbai Cricket Association]. I came into the CIC [Cricket Improvement Committee], but it was an honorary job. I went to the MCA for some help. I have a family to look after. I told the MCA many times that if you require me, I am there whether it is at the Wankhede Stadium or at BKC. Mumbai cricket has given me a lot. I owe my life to this game," he had added.
Well, after the 50-year-old’s financial plight went viral, a businessman from Maharashtra, Sandeep Thorat, has shown generosity and offered the former cricketer a job.
As per the reports by various Marathi websites, Sandeep Thorat, a businessman from Maharashtra, has offered Kambli a job in the finance department of his company, Sahyadri Industry Group, in Mumbai with a monthly salary of Rs 1 lakh.
Now, it would be interesting to see how Kambli reacts to this news, as he was seeking a cricket-related job, but the businessman’s generosity left many impressed to help the needy cricketer.
Notably, Kambli’s last coaching assignment was in the 2019 T20 Mumbai League, which has not been staged since the COVID-19 pandemic. He also guided youngsters at the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy in Nerul. Apart from this, he worked as an actor as well.
He represented India in 17 Tests and 104 ODIs between 1991 to 2000 and scored 1084 and 2477 runs respectively.
(Firstpost inputs)
