Vinod Kambli And Sachin Tendulkar: From Childhood Friends To Distant Stars – Here’s A Timeline

Vinod Kambli is once again in the news as he met his childhood friend, Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday (December 3.). He played 17 Tests and 104 ODIs. Kambli and Sachin played together under Ramakant Achrekar's coaching. Both players made their debuts at a young age but had contrasting careers. While Sachin represented Team India for 24 years, Kambli couldn't play for long. He did play 104 ODIs but only managed to play 17 Test matches.

Sachin and Kambli used to be close friends but their relationship soured. During a TV show in 2009, Kambli claimed that the Master Blaster didn't stand by him. "We are very close… we were very close. He could have done a little more, but he didn’t," Kambli said.

1. Sachin and Kambli played together under Ramakant Achrekar's coaching
2. They put on a record-breaking partnership of 664 runs in the Harris Shield
3. Sachin scored a century on his Ranji Trophy debut and played for India in 1989
4. Kambli soon followed up to Team India
5. In 2009, Kambli alleged that Sachin didn't stand by him
6. Sachin didn't mention Kambli's name at his farewell speech
7. On Tuesday (December 3), both met after a long time

At his farewell speech in 2013, Sachin snubbed Kambli's name. He wasn't present at the Indian legend's retirement party too. “I am deeply hurt. I was expecting my name to be part of his farewell speech. If anything for our famous partnership. It’s that world record partnership that was the turning point of our careers. That’s when everyone came to know who is Vinod and Sachin. I had a hand in that and our careers started from there. I thought he could have mentioned that part at least," Kambli said after Sachin's retirement.

The duo shared the stage few years later. In 2019, Kambli revealed that he returned to cricket on Sachin's advice. “It was a wonderful experience to walk into the grass, where I normally belong. It was a challenge as I was doing it for the first time, but with all my experience from whatever cricket I have played, I kept having one-on-one interactions with the players cheering them up and guiding them how to go about a T20 game,” he said during an interview. It was after many years that the childhood friends met publicly.