India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah recently shared an interesting conversation he had with former cricketer Vinod Kambli during a cricket event in Chennai. When Shah asked Kambli about the happiest moment of his life, he expected Kambli to mention his iconic Test double century or a major record-breaking performance. However, Kambli surprised Shah by saying that coaching young children brings him the most happiness.
“A while ago, I met Vinod Kambli during a cricket event in Chennai. I asked him, ‘Vinod, you have seen many ups and downs in your life. When did you feel the most joy?’ He replied, ‘When I scored a double century, that was a great moment. I defeated many big players and broke records. But the most joy I feel even today is when I coach a young child in the morning and teach them how to play backfoot shots.’ This brings me the most happiness even today,” Amit Shah shared at the event.
Kambli, now 52 years old, debuted for Team India in 1991 and played 104 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and 17 Test matches. Though he was once seen as India’s next batting sensation, his career is known more for talent and unfulfilled potential.
Kambli recently attended a memorial event for his mentor, Ramakant Acherekar. However, his appearance raised concerns among fans as he appeared weak and struggled to speak. Former cricketer Balwinder Sandhu revealed that Kapil Dev had offered financial assistance to Kambli but only if he agreed to go into rehab. Sandhu shared with Times of India, “Kapil has told me clearly that if he wants to go to rehab, then we are willing to help him financially. However, he has to check into rehab himself first. Only if he does that, we are ready to foot the bill, irrespective of how long the treatment lasts.”
Kambli’s cricket career remains noteworthy. He achieved a remarkable Test batting average of 54.20 and became the fastest Indian to score 1,000 Test runs in just 14 innings. Additionally, he became only the third player in Test history to achieve two consecutive double centuries.
