[Watch] When Vinod Kambli launched a stunning attack on Shane Warne in the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup semifinal
A shocking video went viral on social media recently in which former India cricketer Vinod Kambli is seen in a completely disoriented state. The 52-year-old looks in poor shape concerning his health. He cannot even walk properly on his own and asks for help from some passersby.
The clip of Kambli looking extremely frail and in a very unrecognizable state has left fans wondering what has happened to him. After all, the former Indian batter was one of the most promising cricketers in the world in the 1990s. Such was his aura for a brief while that he even drew comparisons with his legendary childhood friend Sachin Tendulkar.
Some fans and experts also reckon that Kambli was even more talented than Tendulkar, but lacked the discipline of his illustrious teammate, while a few others have opined that luck was not on his side. Whether Kambli was indeed more gifted than Tendulkar is open to debate, but what cannot be denied is the fact that, at his best, he was among the most destructive batters in world cricket.
Revisiting Vinod Kambli's memorable battle against Shane Warne
While the left-hander was susceptible against genuine fast bowling, he loved taking on the spinners. One of his most loved knocks in his stop-start international career is a cameo of 28* off 17 balls in the first semifinal of the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup. During this knock, he went after the legendary Shane Warne and made even the Aussie spin wizard look mediocre, if only for one over.
Watch video below
India beat Australia by seven wickets in the first semifinal of the 1994 Austral-Asia Cup in Sharjah. Chasing 245, Team India were cruising to victory courtesy of Ajay Jadeja's 87 and Navjot Sidhu's 80. They were 214-3 in 44 overs after which Warne came on to bowl his ninth over.
Kambli, batting on four off eight balls, welcomed Warne by dancing down the track and launching him for a six straight down the ground. When the Aussie leggie overpitched one, the batter brought out a glorious drive. Another six followed as Kambli again came down the track and lofted Warne through the offside. There was one more four as the flamboyant southpaw hit Warne on the on side.
Vinod Kambli's international career stats
In what was an unfulfilled international career, Kambli represented India in 17 Tests, scoring 1,084 runs at an average of 54.20, with four hundreds and three fifties. Two of his three-figure scores were double tons, which incredibly came in consecutive Test matches.
The 52-year-old featured in 104 ODIs, scoring 2,477 runs at an underwhelming average of 32.59, with two hundreds and 14 half-centuries. He also notched 9,965 runs in 129 first-class matches at an average of 59.67, with 35 hundreds and 44 half-centuries.