Vinod Kambli has been one of the most intriguing stories of Indian cricket. Childhood friends with legendary batter Sachin Tendulkar and once considered more talented than Tendulkar, Kambli had a great start to his India career in 1991, but soon lost his way and slipped into oblivion.
Vinod Kambli has played 17 Tests for Team India and scored 1,084 runs with two double centuries under his belt. He made his ODI debut for the Indian Cricket Team in 1991 against Pakistan in Sharjah. He scored 2,477 runs in 104 matches with two centuries and 14 fifties.
He was the first Indian to score two consecutive double-hundreds in Tests, a feat he achieved against England and Zimbabwe in 1993 at home. He also scored a century in the 1996 World Cup. However, his Test career was over in 1994 before he turned 25 and in 2000, he played his final ODI for India as well.
Since then, Kambli has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, be it his issues with his wife, his battles with alcohol, or the infamous TV show where he accused his friend Sachin Tendulkar of not being there for him.
He was recently seen at a function in Mumbai to celebrate his cricket coach Ramakant Achrekar and Kambli looked frail and weak. He met with Sachin Tendulkar and the video of his ill health led to concern from the Indian cricketing fraternity.
The likes of Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar, and other 1983 World Cup winners offered to help Kambli get back on his feet.
Meanwhile, in an interview with YouTuber Vicky Lalwani, Kambli revealed that he had endured a real scare about a month back. He stated that he had a urine infection and collapsed on the floor because of the same.
But even during Kambli's tough time, his family – wife Andrea, son Jesus Cristiano, and daughter Johanna helped him out.
"I am better now. My wife takes care of me a lot. She took me to 3 different hospitals and told me 'You have to get fit'. Ajay Jadeja also came to visit me. It felt nice. I was suffering from a urine problem. It was just flowing. My son, Jesus Cristiano, picked me up and brought me back to my feet. My daughter, who is 10 years old, and my wife came to help me. This happened one month ago. My head started spinning; I collapsed and fell down. The doctor told me to get admitted," the former India batter told Vickey Lalwani in an interview.
As reported by Free Press Journal, Kambli also spoke about how Sachin Tendulkar helped him during his surgeries in Lilavati Hospital in 2013. He said that Sachin helped him financially.
Looking back at his time with the Indian team in the early 1990s, Kambli holds a special place for his knock of 224 against England, which he played on his home ground of Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
"The double hundred which I scored at Wankhede, I will cherish it the most. I had Achrekar sir with me, and our teammates… what a team that was. We had Anil Kumble, Rajesh Chauhan, Venkatesh Prasad. We used to win a lot. Against Sri Lanka, we used to have some wonderful battles. I used to tell him 'Murali, haath to seedha kar (Get your arms straight).' He would then reply in his native language," Kambli recalled.
