Kambli - Rising star who ran himself out - Derek Pringle

[King]

But for all the dedication and sacrifice, Sachin Tendulkar might have been upstaged by a rough diamond called Vinod Kambli, a batsman who started out every bit as gifted as the little master, writes Derek Pringle. More... Kambli the rising star who ran himself out By Derek Pringle Last Updated: 1:53am BST 08/08/2007 Have your say Read comments In all likelihood, this week's Oval Test will be the last Sachin Tendulkar plays on English soil. Based on an almost studious search for batting perfection, Tendulkar has enjoyed a stellar career. But for all the dedication and sacrifice, he might have been upstaged by a rough diamond called Vinod Kambli, a batsman who started out every bit as gifted as the little master. Sport is littered with tales of what might have been, of talent flushed down the gurgler. But Kambli's story, particularly when placed beside that of his childhood friend, Tendulkar, is a modern tale of how quickly sport's shining paths can lead to a dead end once the small details are ignored. A year older than Tendulkar, Kambli was every bit as much the schoolboy prodigy as his fluffy-haired chum. When the pair played for Shardashram Vidyamandir School against St Xavier's College in 1988, they shared an unbeaten stand of 664. In terms of run-making talent, there wasn't much between them, though Kambli's left-handedness suggested a flashiness of which the right-handed and right-minded Tendulkar could never be accused. Tales of greatness can often be exaggerated, and while the streets of Mumbai buzzed with excited talk of the city's two teenage stars, the next step up often causes the rave notices to be reviewed. Not in their case. In 1989, England had a warm-up game for the Nehru Cup in Delhi, and both played. So did Angus Fraser, Phil DeFreitas, Eddie Hemmings and me. Thankfully, it was a 50-over match and we managed to win, but if memory serves both made unbeaten half-centuries - remarkable given Tendulkar was just 16 and Kambli 17. Within a month, Tendulkar was making his Test debut against Pakistan, a rough baptism that saw him struck on the head. Kambli had to wait another three years to join him in the Test team, a gap that caused him to later quip that "while Sachin had taken the elevator, he'd taken the stairs." It seemed a neat soundbite, though some saw it as a coded barb over the way caste dictates opportunity in India - Tendulkar coming from lofty stock, Kambli from lower-middle. Kambli soon made up for lost time, carving England's confused bowling attack for a double hundred in his third Test. In the team meeting beforehand, one of England's pace bowlers had piped up that he could get him out with an orange. When Kambli reached 200 in front of an ecstatic home crowd in Mumbai, Robin Smith turned to the bowler in question and said - "don't you think it's time you pulled out that bloody orange." After seven Tests, Kambli had scored 773 runs at an average of 113.2, including a washed-out match in which he did not bat. Only cricketing icons Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Everton Weekes, George Headley and Frank Worrell have scored more. Suddenly Little Lord Sachin was not the only deity in town. Success and the adoration that breeds can bring unimaginable riches in India. But you can play the game two ways. Be aloof but businesslike and watch the money roll in, as Tendulkar has, or get sucked into the fame game, something Kambli, with his sudden passion for bling and booze, did rather too enthusiastically for those running Indian cricket. When it came, his fall was sudden and permanent. A weakness against short-pitched fast bowling (he kept flashing catches to gully), played its part, but his off-the-field lifestyle clearly irked those in charge. Most batsmen sporting an average of 54.2 - especially ones good enough to cane Shane Warne for 22 in an over - are given the chance to iron out any flaws. Not Kambli, and while his one-day career stuttered on until the 2000 ICC Trophy in Nairobi, he never played another Test. Kambli continues to play cricket for Mumbai, though an acting career in Bollywood - he once played a mechanic in a film called Annarth - appears to have stalled. India was still a conservative place when he first announced himself all gilt and flash in the early Nineties. Fifteen years on and the country, with its burgeoning economy, has caught him up and attitudes have changed, though too late to salvage his cricket career. So as Tendulkar takes his bow at the Oval this week, possibly with a 38th hundred to his name, remember his old mate Kambli - a man with talent to burn, and a compulsion to set it alight at both ends.

[King]

Good one. Pringle's articles usually are good to read. I can't quite understand why Kambli was not persisted in test matches as against ODIs.

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Anakin]

He was given enough opportunities when SRT was captain. He just didn't try and/or concentrate hard enough

[The Outsider]

He was given enough opportunities when SRT was captain. He just didn't try and/or concentrate hard enough

That's a myth. Kambli played a grand total of zero test matches under Tendulkar.

[beetle]

I think Kambli didn't do himself a favour my comparing himself to his friend or atleast talking about himself in the same sentence asTendulkar, specially when he didn't have the same dedication to the game.

[Lurker]

Good one. Pringle's articles usually are good to read.

Yep Derek Pringle's article are a good read. Even in his playing days he was supposed to be the smartest English bloke. Quite well read and opinionated. I see him develop him a good scribe in the next years.

I can't quite understand why Kambli was not persisted in test matches as against ODIs.

Kambli was given a decent run. The man had some disciplinary issues and he played at a time when Indian middle order was anyway packed. We had Sachin, Azhar & Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid had started to create a stir in domestic circuit. Within a year of Kambli playing his last test Dravid made his debut, alongside Ganguly and the two played good enough to shut the doors on Kambli for good. xxx

[Brainfade]

"It seemed a neat soundbite, though some saw it as a coded barb over the way caste dictates opportunity in India - Tendulkar coming from lofty stock, Kambli from lower-middle." If anyone thought caste politics were at work, they were being ridiculous. I am not sure why SRT started 3 years earlier than VGK, but I wouldn't bet on caste/background being an issue. Am I just naive?

[Ram]

Forget it guys.. Kambli is least bothered about India selection.. He's got what he wanted... A gorgeous wife !

[Predator_05]

I didn't watch Kambli when he was piling on the double-hundreds against England and Zimbabwe, but from what i saw of him in ODI's (he played PLENTY of them on and off throughout the '90's) he was an ordinary player with basic flaws which could be exposed at this level. Against the short-ball, he was worse than Ganguly. A classy strokeplayer, a hard-hitter when on form but he just didn't make the most of his opportunities. He did get a rough deal in Test cricket, but i doubt he would have been that successful anyway.

[Anakin]

That's a myth. Kambli played a grand total of zero test matches under Tendulkar.

he was brought back into the odi team, wasn't he

[Guest dada_rocks]

"It seemed a neat soundbite' date= though some saw it as a coded barb over the way caste dictates opportunity in India - Tendulkar coming from lofty stock, Kambli from lower-middle." If anyone thought caste politics were at work, they were being ridiculous. I am not sure why SRT started 3 years earlier than VGK, but I wouldn't bet on caste/background being an issue. Am I just naive?

Because tendulkar scored century in domestic league of big boys everywhere on debut..

[coffee_rules]

Suddenly Little Lord Sachin was not the only deity in town.

Typical of foreign writers stereotyping Indian cricket culture..this is akin to foreigners talking about snake charmers, rampaging elephants or call centers whenever India is mentioned in a sentence. Stuff them...

[coffee_rules]

Forget it guys.. Kambli is least bothered about India selection.. He's got what he wanted... A gorgeous wife !

Did he pay for those? Are they real?

[The Outsider]

he was brought back into the odi team' date=' wasn't he[/quote'] He played a handful of ODIs under Tendulkar but no tests.

[kumble_rocks]

He played a handful of ODIs under Tendulkar but no tests.

I still remember Sachin routinely criticizing team selection and wanting kambli in the team for both tests and ODI's when he was the captain. It's different matter that the selectors did not oblige.

[THX_1138]

Kambli had the misfortune of making his return to the side during a period where you were not afforded too many chances and even less faith. If the recall came in the 4th match of some series against a forbiddable opponent you were expected to make runs and at a trot or dont expect another opportunity. Its interesting that during his recall, he never played more than three matches at a trot, and those three came in pakistan (right after the 4-1 Toronto triumph).

[Gambit]

What a waste of such a prodigious talent! I'll never forget Kambli's hooked six off Ambrose at Gwalior in the '96 world cup game.

[gator]

I didn't watch Kambli when he was piling on the double-hundreds against England and Zimbabwe' date=' but from what i saw of him in ODI's (he played PLENTY of them on and off throughout the '90's) he was an ordinary player with basic flaws which could be exposed at this level. Against the short-ball, he was worse than Ganguly. A classy strokeplayer, a hard-hitter when on form but he just didn't make the most of his opportunities. He did get a rough deal in Test cricket, but i doubt he would have been that successful anyway.[/quote'] i have watched both his double hundreds and many other innings and i would vouch tht he was every bit as flashy and talented as Lara..... he was nothing like ganguly against the short ball.... if anything, he started forming a habit of cutting/gliding the shorter ball outside off straight into gully's hands... he got out quite a few times in a row in tht manner.... it was nothing tht couldnt be worked out considering he was still averaging 54 at tht time... not many, mind you, not many can claim to have whacked Shane for 22 runs in an over... he was so much like Lara.... wen he got going, he was brilliant....

[kumble_rocks]

i have watched both his double hundreds and many other innings and i would vouch tht he was every bit as flashy and talented as Lara..... he was nothing like ganguly against the short ball.... if anything, he started forming a habit of cutting/gliding the shorter ball outside off straight into gully's hands... he got out quite a few times in a row in tht manner.... it was nothing tht couldnt be worked out considering he was still averaging 54 at tht time... not many, mind you, not many can claim to have whacked Shane for 22 runs in an over... he was so much like Lara.... wen he got going, he was brilliant....

With all due respect Gator , Predz is spot on here. Even I have watched this guy right from nascent of his career. In my opinion , this guy has to go down has one the most over rated test batsmen . His test record has to be taken with a pinch of salt. If you notice his test career , he has played only one test match outside the subcontinent and that is against NZ . And , if you take out his first 10 test matches which included test series against England against the likes of club grade bowlers like Defrietas and Lewis and other series against Lanka against no name bowlers except Murali who was very raw ( he did not even play in the IND - SL series in lanka ) his average will fall drastically . Kambli was sorted out by the likes of Walsh , Benjamin , Cairns , Nash etc. In fact , his last 7 test matches which included quality attack from WI and NZ fetched him an aggregate runs of 138 and a pathetic average of 17.25. This guy had no technique against short pitch bowling and to suggest that he was very much like Lara would be an gross exaggeration in my opinion. Even his stroke play was more in the lines of Graeme Hick another flat track bully who only fathomed medium pace in dead tracks. But I would admit that he could play spin bowling very well more in the mold of Azza. Nothing special about this guy in my opinion and I have seen him play in person as well.