Kambli and his 15 seconds of fame..

Vinod Ganpat Kambli is back!! And how!!

Here is a guy who was considered a great cricketer by his coach, who incidentally also coached Sachin Tendulkar. Even in the cricketing circles, he was treated with respect. A fantastic south-paw. Probable future of Indian cricket. Hell, who knows, he could have been India's cricketing God would have been a left-handed batsman.

Vinod Kambli's latest 15-seconds-of-fame moment happened when he mentioned there was something fishy in the way the 1996 World Cup semi-final turned out. He claimed the pitch was great for batting and we should have batted first instead of chasing!! He also claimed Indian's kept losing wickets without giving a fight. For those still not able to recollect the match, he was the last batsman standing in front of a crowd (Eden Gardens) who didn't even have the courtesy to support their team during a crisis. Still don't remember? Kambli cried that day.. 

Kambli's is a classic case of how success can rub you the wrong way. His Test statistics is still one of the best considering he played only 17 tests (1084 runs @ 54.20). His career included 2 back to back double centuries both of which India won. A talent totally wasted!! 

He had his own personal problems. He apparently didn't gel well the administration. He last played an international match in 2000 and formally retired from all forms of cricket (including first class) in September 2011. In between, he tried (albeit unsuccessfully) to regain his lost popularity by featuring in a movie or two (at best, forgotten), tried Politics (failed again), entered Reality shows like Bigg Boss (Indian version of Big Brother) and Sach ka Saamna (Indian version of The Moment of Truth). He even publicly claimed Sachin didn't support him in his time of need. And now this match-fixing claim. God!! What does a man need to do to become popular??

Kambli has been a fighter. He still is a fighter. The only problem is that he is fighting in a wrong battlefield where he has nothing to win and everything to lose. Sad state of affairs!! I only wish Kambli leaves his antics behind and start afresh. He is 39 now. He can work on coaching assignments, as I am sure he still can contribute in a big way. He should try coaching one of the smaller teams and then move up the ladder. He can also consider commentating in a big way. Cricket has evolved in the last 10 years and there are voids that need to be filled. We need a charismatic commentator - who knows, he can be an ideal candidate.

This post is written by a big fan of Vinod Kambli. Infact I used to be a huge fan of his!! I was one of those who believed we would've won the semi final match and I still believe so. Why? Only because Kambli was still there. Optimist, yes I am.