Vinod Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar share a long-standing relationship that dates back to their childhood. They have been acquainted since the age of ten, have played cricket together for more than twenty years, and have experienced numerous highs and lows throughout their journey. However, their friendship faced significant strain when Kambli publicly accused Tendulkar and others of failing to support him during difficult times, a claim he made on an Indian reality television show. This revelation led to a prolonged period of silence between the two, lasting several years. Notably, during Tendulkar's retirement speech, Kambli was notably omitted, and he was also excluded from a gathering held in honour of Tendulkar's post-retirement.

Fortunately, the two have since reconciled and rekindled their friendship. This incident, however, was not the first time Kambli had caused tension with Tendulkar. Following reports regarding Kambli's declining health, which emerged after he attended the inauguration of Ramakant Achrekar's memorial in Mumbai, one is reminded of a story recounted by Sanjay Manjrekar. In a discussion with SportsKeeda three years prior, Manjrekar reflected on Kambli's early days and his tendency to express frustration towards both him and Sachin, particularly due to his exclusion from the Indian national team.

"This anecdote originates from the 1992 World Cup when Vinod Kambli was part of the Indian squad. Kambli was known for his vibrant personality and had a close rapport with Sachin and me. During the initial matches of the World Cup, he found himself on the sidelines, which affected his mood. As Sachin and I were the more established players, we were selected for all the matches. However, after each game, Kambli would confront us, critiquing our performances with comments like, 'What kind of batting is this? You could have played more aggressively.' He did not hold back even when addressing Sachin," Manjrekar recounted.

During a match against Zimbabwe, Sachin and I formed a solid partnership. The target was modest, and we successfully secured the victory. However, later that evening, Kambli expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, "The match went well, but we could have achieved victory much sooner." He remarked to Sachin, "John Traicos is an average bowler. You should have been able to hit him out of the park; instead, you opted for singles." Sachin responded, "Our primary objective was to win the match." Nevertheless, Vinod remained unyielding in his views. If there is one individual capable of unsettling Sachin, it is Vinod Kambli.

When Manjrekar and Tendulkar got back at Kambli

Kambli had participated in five One Day Internationals for India the previous year, in 1991, where he achieved scores of 23 not out against the West Indies, as well as 40 and 30 against Pakistan. In the period leading up to the World Cup, Kambli played a few additional matches. However, he only had the opportunity to bat once, managing to score just 3 runs against England. Ultimately, Kambli made his World Cup debut for India in a match against Pakistan. Despite the guidance he had provided to Sachin and Manjrekar, he found it challenging to establish himself, scoring 24 runs off 41 balls. That evening, following the match, it was Tendulkar and Manjrekar's turn to offer Kambli a taste of his own medicine.

"This situation persisted until Vinod finally received his opportunity in the match against Pakistan, where he scored at a strike rate of 54 or 56. Sachin and I exchanged glances, thinking, 'Once he returns, it will be our chance to get back at him.' After the match, we pulled Vinod aside and asked, 'What happened? You hit such impressive sixes in the nets. What went wrong during the match?' His straightforward response was, 'They were bowling very tightly.' That was his simple explanation. Indeed, he was quite a character," Manjrekar remarked.

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