da lvbet： Vinod Kambli talks to Cricinfo about the days when he was still king, and when his home crowd inspired him to his greatest height – 224 against England at the Wankhede in 1993
da betsson： Nagraj Gollapudi17-Mar-2006When he burst onto the scene three seasons after his great pal SachinTendulkar, with whom he had once added a world-record 646 in a schools match, the sky appeared the limit for Vinod Kambli. Sadly, his fall from grace was as spectacular and sudden as the elevation to star status. Worked over by West Indian quicks and troubled by indiscipline and injury, he faded away to become Indian cricket’s greatest regret of themodern era. No one knows how good he could have been, perhaps not evenKambli himself. Here, he talks to Cricinfo about the days when he wasstill king, and when his home crowd inspired him to his greatest height -224 against England at the Wankhede in 1993.
Vinod Kambli was 13 runs short of breaking Sunil Gavaskar’s 236 as the highest score by an Indian © Getty Images
My first double-hundred was really memorable for various reasons. Playingon my home ground, encouraged by the vociferous crowds, against awell-balanced England bowling side, I was enjoying every moment of myinnings. Once England spared me early on in my knock – on 57, I stepped out to a flighted delivery from John Emburey and didn’t connectproperly, but Phil Defreitas at long-off failed to latch on to a simplechance – I didn’t look back for a long time. Still being a raw player,there were many rush-of-blood moments.Keith Fletcher, the England coach, was getting desperate at thepartnerships that India were steadily building and was charging inand out of the dressing room and making patrols around the ropes,instructing his bowlers to bowl at a particular length and line. I hadbeen observing him for a while and decided to take him on – every time thebowler would try the Fletcher-way, I would dispatch him to the ropes. Thecrowds would go manic and applaud every shot like I had scored a century.That would egg me on to play the next shot.Amidst this excitement, it was a heady feeling to score my first hundredin my third Test. Later that evening Sunil Gavaskar came to me and offeredwords of caution: “You are shuffling too much across and exposing your legstump which the England bowlers will try and attack, so mind that.” Wordsof wisdom, and I would never forget them. I went on to complete mydouble-century and what a moment it was with the thousands in the groundchanting “Kambli, Kambli”.England seniors, Graham Gooch and Mike Gatting, whom I used to watch as akid, came and patted me on the back, which sent a chill down my spine asthese were some of the heroes I had seen so much and read about and oneday wanted to emulate. I got out on 224, not knowing that I was so closeto Gavaskar’s 236, then the highest score by an Indian. And the manhimself congratulated me on my feat and taking me aside, he took offhis wristwatch to give to me as a gift. I have treasured that, and kept itsafely till date.