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The man behind the flash
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Vinod Kambli relates his smashing ways over a sumptuous meal
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PHOTO: ANU PUSHKARNA
WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE! Vinod Kambli trying out delicacies at Made in India in Noida's Radisson MBD
If ever there were a case study on people who were so near yet so far, Vinod Ganpat Kambli will definitely be put under scrutiny. What went wrong with a career that saw him notch up four centuries in the first seven tests, including two double hundreds? The man got to play just 10 more. "I made nine comebacks to the One Day squad but never got the runs, something the youngsters are getting under the Greg Chappell scheme of things. Had I played under Greg I would have played 100 Tests," quips Kambli at Made in India restaurant of Radisson MBD in Noida on a rain-drenched Sunday afternoon.
Kabab time
On a rehabilitation course to make a mark in the coming domestic season, he says Sunday is the day when he takes a break from his regimen of diet and exercises. He starts with galawat ke kabab, a lamb delicacy from the erstwhile Awadh. The number of kababs reminds him of his closest friend Sachin Tendulkar's birthday. "I took 35 vada paos to mark the day. And his wife made sure that Sachin eats each one of them."
The two started from the same school, shared the same coach, and took the world by storm when they broke the world record for the highest partnership in a school match. Where the two got separated? "I believe unlike Ajit Tendulkar, I had no brother to tell me where I was going wrong."
"For instance," he says, "I should have gone to Boland, South Africa, early in my career to correct my shortcoming against the rising delivery."
Serving himself ajwain machli tikka, Kambli continues, "I suffered some of the worst career-ending injuries. Nobody gave me a chance when I twisted my ankle by 90 degrees in Cuttack. Sachin cried when he saw my leg in the hospital. But I made a comeback." However, some times bizarre things could happen. "Ever heard of a 12th man getting cramps? On a Sri Lankan tour, where the humidity is always too high, I fell on the ground while delivering water!"
Time for his favourite Hyderabadi kuchi yakhni ki biryani, where raw lamb and rice are cooked together on dum with Hyderabadi spices and is served with bhurani raita, and Kambli reveals his passion for food and cooking.
Goan style
"I love mutton biryani, tandoori chicken and fried fish and I love to prepare fish in Goan style. Then there are Maharashtrian delights like puran poli. And in this season you don't need to have anything else if hapus poli is there." Poli is like our chapatti and hapus is Alphonso, the best variety of mango. "As for tours, the best memories are when Sachin and I used to have bucketful of crabs in Sri Lanka."
In love with good things in life, Kambli's lifestyle has always been under scanner. "I started my life from chawls. I used to travel in a local train from Bhendi Bazaar to school. As I had to carry a kit, I used to travel in goods compartment stacked with fish and vegetables. Even when I was playing for Bombay, I stayed with a friend in chawl, lining up for loo every morning. Nobody knows about it, because, unlike today, in those days camera crews didn't follow anyone who made it to the national team."
He continues, "However, it is not that good life made me fall in love with music. I used to carry a Walkman with me even when I was playing juniors." He even brought out a music album with Sanjay Manjrekar called "Rest Day".
"We tried to do a remix (of `Meet Na Mila Re Man Ka') much before it become a rage. My ambition is to sing with Lata di," he quips. A good mimic, Kambli can copy film stars Sanjeev Kumar and Keshto Mukherjee with ease. He has acted in a film too. "I used to mimic Ajit Wadekar (the then coach) as well. In dressing room Jadeja and I were entrusted with creating the (atmosphere) mahaul." And, he is said to be the only one who could enter Sachin's room when the door had the `do not disturb' tag.
But like the way he hit the first ball he faced in his career for a six, Kambli has been accused of being flashy. Continuing with biryani, Kambli turns serious. "If the ball is meant to be hit, I would hit it whether it is the first ball or the last ball. I always kept the time for my hobbies for the off-season. Even If I was really doing something undisciplined, the Board should have reprimanded me. Like Australian Board did to Ponting. I was never taken into confidence," he complains. Back to the present, Kambli's Sunday feast is over. "Man santusht hua. Let's try some Chinese tea." Any regrets? "No, I am a people's person and they still love me. Wherever I go, people say they want me to see me play for India again. And I am working hard towards it."
ANUJ KUMAR
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