When we think about great Test cricket players, two names shine the brightest: Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. Bradman’s batting average of 99.94 from just 52 matches is a record that seems impossible to beat. In contrast, Sachin Tendulkar is known as the complete batter of cricket history. He holds records for the most runs and centuries in international cricket, and was the first player to score a double century in One Day Internationals (ODIs).
In the early ’90s, as Tendulkar was taking the cricket world by storm, a young Indian batter named Vinod Kambli was also making waves. It was 1991, and India needed fresh talent as they were still relying on older stars like Kapil Dev and Mohammad Azharuddin.
Despite a slow start, Kambli’s first year in international cricket took off in 1992 with a brilliant unbeaten century against England. He made his Test debut in Kolkata, which opened the door to a thrilling cricket career.
Kambli quickly became known for his amazing performances. After just seven Test matches, he scored two centuries, including back-to-back double hundreds – 224 and 227 runs – against England and Zimbabwe. His total runs after those seven matches reached 793, giving him an incredible average of 100.4, even better than Bradman’s.
However, despite this fantastic start, Kambli’s career took a downturn. After crying when India lost to Sri Lanka in the 1996 World Cup semi-final, things didn’t go well for him. He struggled to score runs and couldn’t maintain his place in the team. His off-field behavior also became a problem.
Kambli made many comebacks to the Indian team between 1991 and 2000, but by the time he was just 28, his career was over. He played 101 ODIs, scoring 2,477 runs with two centuries.
Sadly, Kambli is often remembered as a player who never reached his full potential, despite starting out so brilliantly.
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