"Kambli has already gone to rehab 14 times" - Former India cricketer's friend makes shocking admission
Vinod Kambli's friend Marcus Couto has revealed that the former India cricketer has been battling severe, multiple health issues. The former first-class umpire also lamented that there is no point in sending Kambli to rehab as he already been there as many as 14 times.
For the second time in the space of a few months, videos of ailing Kambli have sparked concerns over the health of the former India cricketer. He reunited with childhood friend and batting legend Sachin Tendulkar during the unveiling of the memorial of their late childhood coach Ramakant Achrekar in Mumbai on Tuesday, December 3.
During the function, Kambli appeared to be visibly ill. Even when he was asked to pay tribute to Achrekar, he struggled to speak properly, although he did manage to sing a song. Speaking to The Times of India (TOI), Couto clarified:
"He wasn't drunk or something. He hasn't touched a drop of alcohol for the past one year. It's just that he became very emotional during his brief meeting with Sachin, who greeted him nicely on the stage. He was very enthusiastic about meeting Sachin and attending the function.
"He has severe, multiple health issues. There's no point in him going for rehab - Kambli has already gone to rehab 14 times! Thrice we took him to a rehab in Vasai," Couto went on to add.
In August this year, a video of Kambli struggling to walk and requesting for help from people went viral on social media. After the clip went viral, Couto and his brother Ricky paid a visit to the former batter at his residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
Meanwhile, former India pacer Balwinder Singh Sandhu told TOI that the 1983 World Cup team members, including Kapil Dev, are ready to help Kambli, but only on the condition that the 52-year-old checks into rehab himself first.
"Kapil has told me clearly that if he wants to go to rehab, then we are willing to help him financially. However, he has to check into rehab himself first. Only if he does that, we are ready to foot the bill, irrespective of how long the treatment lasts," Sandhu said.
The former cricketer also admitted that many of his former cricketing colleagues have given up on Kambli knowing that 'his troubles start and end with alcohol'. He also recalled an instance when Kapil helped him get a job as a cricket expert on a news channel, but the former Mumbai batter only showed up a couple of times.
Vinod Kambli lost his way after a dazzling start
Kambli scored two double hundreds in Test cricket very early in his international career and that too in successive matches. However, he completely lost his way after a sensational start.
The 52-year-old ended up playing only 17 Tests in which he scored 1,084 runs at an average of 54.20, with the aid of four hundreds and three fifties. In ODIs, he played 104 matches and scored 2,477 runs at an average of 32.59, with two hundreds and 14 fifties.