If there is only one unfulfilled talent in the cricketing world, then it has to be Vinod Kambli contestably. It is hard to believe that a batter with a test average of above 54 played his last test at the age of just 24. By more than one Cricket Pundit, Kambli was supposed to be the giant who would imprint himself in the pantheon of greatest cricketers ever to grace the game of cricket. Those predictions came after his exploits early in his career but destiny had something else in store.
Youngest Indian batsman to score a double century in Test cricket, Kambli was hailed as Indian Brian Lara, who could fetch massive scores with an array of flamboyant strokes. But a few dismissals against short pitch stuff, unfortunately, made selectors believe that he was not capable enough to play red ball cricket for India anymore. Though he kept getting chances in white ball cricket, the test call-up never came his way.
In the way Kambli was at his dismissive best against Muralitharan & Shane Warne, it can be said that cricket fans have missed many opportunities to witness Kambli bossing the greatest of spinners in the world.
But all these are just imaginations and now with every chance of it becoming a reality has finished, Vinod Kambli has gone down in memory lanes as a lost hero or say anything you want to.
Since Vinod Kambli's career was too short to make any conclusion on the basis of numbers he accrued, people's assertions about him can be crucial to know about the gargantuan of Vinod Kambli. In this article, let's take a look at some statements made about Kambli by those who saw him closely, or those who were able to recognise the abilities of Vinod in a short period of time.
1. Ramakant Achrekar
Let's start with the man who could be the best judge for Vinod Kambli. World famous as coach of the child prodigies - Sachin Tendulkar & Vinod Kambli - Late Ramakant Achrekar was fond of Vinod Kambli more than anyone else. After Sachin's debut in Ranji trophy which saw him hogging the limelight, and restricted Kambli into the shades, Achrekar remarked,
"I feel Kambli is as good as Sachin and is equally gifted and talented. The two of them should easily be the best batsmen from Mumbai and probably India today."
2. Ajit Wadekar
Famous Indian captain under whom India won its first Test series outside home, Late Ajit Wadekar felt that Kambli was better than Sachin. Being a member of Mumbai selection committee, once Wadekar said,
"I constantly kept hearing about the exploits of Sachin and Kambli. I went to see some of the matches played by Shardashram and realized that the two were phenomenal talents. I personally felt Kambli would go ahead of Sachin. I was sure he would play for India. It was just a matter of time."
Everyone knows that Kambli was a flamboyant batsman who could handle any bowling attack with his flamboyant stroke play. Let's see how Wadekar explained Vinod's batting style-
"He was very graceful in his stroke play. His strokes, especially off the back foot that are not easy to execute, reminded me of Gary Sobers. Kambli had superb technique and hit the ball extremely hard. Cricket was in his blood. He was a born strokeplayer."
Kambli was someone who was termed as a victim of being among the people who were getting lesser chances in comparison with other prodigies. On Vinod Kambli not getting proper chances in Indian team, Ajit Wadekar commented,
"Had he got the breaks and chances that Sachin got, Kambli could have gone far ahead. He was talented but did not get the opportunities at the right moment."
If there was one reason that kept arising time and again for the negligence of selectors towards Kambli, it was the purported indiscipline from the southpaw.
In 1996, when India toured England, BCCI president IS Bindra made some surprising remarks over Kambli's exclusion from the team. Bindra said that Kambli got drunk and fought with his wife in the hotel ahead of an ODI match; argued with captain Azharuddin after being moved one place down in the batting order; he used to return late at night to the hotel and knock on the doors of other players.
Bindra further said that the management had done a favor to Kambli by dropping him. Had he gone to England and got into trouble again, he might have been handed a suspension from international cricket.
Ajit Wadekar, who was the manager of the Indian team during 1996 WC, rubbished all the allegations against Kambli and said,
"I went through the reports of Kambli's indiscipline during the 1996 WC, but the mentioned incidents didn't take place. I had introduced the Code of Conduct for the team. There was no issue with Kambli. He was a happy- go- lucky guy who kept the atmosphere lively in the dressing room with his antics. He wasn't an alcoholic either. I have seen him in his element even without his glass of drink. Contrary to reports, he did not disturb any player in the middle of the night. It is completely untrue. I never had to scold him for anything.”
3. Amol Muzumdar
Renowned for his unbeaten 260 on First class debut and for never getting a chance in the Indian team despite having impressive numbers in first class cricket, Muzumdar played his trade in domestic cricket from 1993 to 2014. Another memory of Muzumdar was that he was the next man to come when Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli plundered the partnership of 664 runs in school cricket. Amol kept waiting for nearly two days as both thrashed the world record for highest partnership ever in any form of cricket.
Amol was Kambli's classmate and team mate at Shardashram and Mumbai. About Kambli's batting abilities Muzumdar remarked-
"Kambli was unbelievably talented. He was a very flamboyant and instinctive cricketer. I have seen very few people with the kind of batting ability that Kambli had. His biggest advantage as a batsman was that he knew how to score runs. And with his own stupendous performance, he carried the team with him. He had his own game. You could not teach Kambli to play a forward defensive stroke or a pull. He could murder any bowling attack and had a good cricketing brain."
As Kambli has always been accused of not being serious about his game and that thing caused the downfall of him, Muzumdar had a different view on this-
"His flamboyant lifestyle and his game were two different things. There was perception about him that he was a casual guy, but that was not the case. He was a character off the field, but on the field he was very serious. He was a shrewd cricketer in operation and had a lot of knowledge about his own game. I have the highest respect for him. Someday, I am going to ask him how he managed to score those many runs."
Going by above statements from the guys who watched Kambli closely, we can say that cricket was unlucky to not have much of Vinod Kambli. Somehow, he should have been played more to enrich the glorious history of this game.
Note- All the above mentioned assertions are based on Vinod Kambli’s biography- “Vinod Kambli- The Lost Hero” by Kunal Purandare.
