I thought then that Sachin didn’t help: When Cricketer Vinod Kambli said this and his latest video from elder care centre tugs the heart
For a cricketer once known for the effortless strokeplay that made him one of India’s most talked-about batting talents, Vinod Kambli’s latest video has left fans looking at a very different chapter of his life.A video of the former India batter at an elderly-care centre in Thane has surfaced on social media, showing Kambli speaking about the care he is receiving there. He appears to struggle while speaking in parts of the short clip, prompting fresh concern among fans about his health.Kambli himself, however, speaks positively about the place. Introducing himself in the video, he says he has received affection and does not feel as though he is away from home. He also praises the facilities and cleanliness at the centre.“I am Vinod Kambli. I have received a lot of love. And as for all the people who are here, it doesn’t feel anywhere here like I am not at home,” he says in the video. He also describes the facilities and hygiene as “absolutely top-class” and identifies the place as Nidan. The video was shared on social media on September 25.
A health battle that has continued for years
The latest video comes after a series of health concerns surrounding Kambli over the past few years. In December 2024, Kambli was hospitalised in Thane after suffering from a urinary tract infection and low blood pressure. Doctors also found electrolyte abnormalities that were affecting his muscles and movement, along with old blood clots in his brain linked to an earlier stroke. He was discharged in January 2025 after roughly two weeks of treatment.Kambli had spoken about his health himself around that period. In an interview with The Times of India in December 2024, he said he was ready to enter rehabilitation and also spoke about the support he had received from childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar.“At that time, it came to my mind that Sachin didn’t help. I was extremely frustrated. But Sachin did everything for me, including paying for my two surgeries in 2013,” Kambli had said.He also recalled his cricketing journey and the repeated comebacks he had made during his career. “Sachin told me how to play. I made nine comebacks. We are cricketers; we get hurt. When we get out, we also get hurt,” he said.Months earlier, after another video of Kambli struggling to walk went viral, he had himself sought to reassure friends and fans. Speaking to close friends who visited him at home in August 2024, Kambli said: “I’m good,” before adding, “By the grace of God, I’m surviving. I’m fit and fine. I’m ready to bat at No 3.”
From schoolboy sensation to India batter
Kambli’s story is inseparable from that of Tendulkar. The two were childhood friends and became famous after their unbeaten 664-run partnership for Shardashram Vidyamandir in a school match in 1988.Kambli went on to make his India debut in 1991 and established himself as a gifted left-handed batter. He played 17 Tests, scoring 1,084 runs at an average of 54.20 with four centuries. In 104 ODIs, he scored 2,477 runs.His Test career included a memorable run of form in the early 1990s. He became the first Indian to score back-to-back Test double centuries, making 224 against England at Wankhede Stadium in 1993 and 227 against Zimbabwe at Delhi in 1994.Looking back at the innings that meant the most to him, Kambli said in December 2024: “The double hundred at Wankhede, I will cherish the most. Achrekar sir was with me, and we had such a great team.”For fans who remember Kambli primarily through those innings, the latest video is a stark reminder of how dramatically life can change after a sporting career ends.Yet Kambli’s own message from the care centre is not one of complaint. He talks about being cared for, receiving affection and feeling at home. As concern around his health grows again, those are also the words he has chosen to leave with the people watching him now.
