When Kapil Dev used Vinod Kambli’s example to caution youth

Former India
captain and fast bowling legend Kapil Dev used Vinod Kambli as an example to
urge young cricketers not to lose focus. Kambli ascended to considerable
heights in international cricket as a young player in the early 1990s, scoring
a lot of runs. However, he quickly lost his edge and failed to capitalize on
opportunities that came his way later in his career.

Kapil used
the example of Kambli and his childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar to illustrate
why it was critical for young cricketers to stay focused. Kambli made 1084 runs
in 17 Tests and 2477 runs in 104 One-Day Internationals for India. Tendulkar,
on the other hand, retired as the top run-scorer in cricket history.

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According to
a Times of India report, Kapil told at an event last month – “Sometimes,
youngsters take up something to impress others. I believe that it is important
to love yourself first and bring passion to whatever you like. There are no
substitutes for passion, hard work and commitment. Sachin Tendulkar is the
perfect example of talent plus hard work. If you are talented but not
hard-working enough, then you can go the Vinod Kambli way.”

“There
will always be two types of cricketers. I played with both Sachin Tendulkar and
Vinod Kambli. They both emerged as the next big thing in Indian cricket. Vinod
was an equally gifted player and had no shortcomings, but he started deviating
when the focus must have been on his game,” he added.

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The 1983
World Cup-winner also mentioned “And when a player loses focus, all the
fame he earns gradually starts fading away. At the end, one thing counts, and
that’s performance, which ultimately determines whether one finishes as a great
player or ends up a forgotten star.”

Tendulkar
and Kambli had both played with Kapil Dev on the Indian team at the outset of
their respective careers. Kapil also served as the Indian team’s coach during
Tendulkar’s captaincy in the 1990s.