Sachin Tendulkar continues to stand by ailing Vinod Kambli as childhood friendship endures

Dubai: Few friendships in Indian cricket have captured the public imagination quite like that of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Their’s is a bond forged on the maidaans of Mumbai more than four decades ago, immortalised by a record-breaking 664-run partnership in a Harris Shield school match that first announced their arrival.

While Tendulkar went on to etch his name in history as one of the game’s greatest ever, Kambli’s international career proved far shorter, ending in 2000 after 17 Tests and 104 ODIs. Yet, despite the vastly different trajectories, the bond between the two childhood friends remains as strong as ever.

Kambli, who has been battling health issues in recent years, continues to draw strength from that friendship. His younger brother Virendra has revealed that Tendulkar regularly calls to check on the former left-hander’s condition and speaks with Kambli’s wife Andrea.

“Sachin dada has always supported Vinod. Their friendship is still very strong,” Virendra said in an interview to journalist Vickey Lalwani, dismissing long-standing speculation that Kambli once considered himself more talented than Tendulkar. “He was always closest to him. I remember going to Ranji matches and seeing them sit together, sharing meals and joking around. They enjoyed each other’s company.”

The update comes after Kambli, now 52, was hospitalised earlier this year with a blood clot in his brain. He has since returned home but remains on the road to recovery. “He is stable, though he is having difficulty speaking,” Virendra added. “It will take him time to recover, but he is a champion. I have faith that he will walk and run again.”

For fans who grew up watching the two boys from Mumbai rise together in the late 1980s, it is a poignant reminder that while cricketing journeys may diverge, friendships can endure beyond the boundary. Tendulkar may have become the ‘Master Blaster’, but to Kambli, he has always remained “Sachin dada.”