New Delhi: After his cricket career ended, Vinod Kambli became so immersed in his alcohol addiction that he lost everything—his home, his family, and everything else. Mohammad Azharuddin and Sanjay Manjrekar spoke about an incident involving Kambli, which was related to the then-coach Ajit Wadekar.
Vinod Kambli Controversy: Cricketer Vinod Kambli’s career has been filled with controversies. At times, he has been in the news for assaulting his wife, and at other times, for his addiction to alcohol. Recently, when he appeared at an event in Mumbai, everyone was shocked by his condition. The star of India, due to his addiction, was unable to speak properly. In the midst of this, Kapil Dev promised to help Kambli. Now, let us tell you some stories from the 90s related to Kambli, including an incident when he had a confrontation with coach Ajit Wadekar. Sanjay Manjrekar and Mohammad Azharuddin mentioned this episode.
In Apar Shakti Khurana’s YouTube show Cricket Diaries, Sanjay Manjrekar and Venkatesh Prasad were present along with Azhar. During the show, the playful nature of Ajay Jadeja and Vinod Kambli was discussed. It was mentioned that Jadeja enjoys going out for a party after a victory. In the midst of this, Mohammad Azharuddin started talking about Kambli. He said that Kambli used to behave normally in the team, but it seemed that he had a very comical side. It was clear that he was made of a different kind of personality.
Azhar explains that Ajit Wadekar was our manager (coach), and we respected him a lot. Kambli would sit near him and tease him, saying, “Sir, what are you doing… let’s go.” Wadekar would never do anything to Kambli. Meanwhile, Sanjay Manjrekar mentions that once, even Ajit Agarkar ran after Vinod Kambli in the dressing room because Kambli had pinched him. Just imagine, our coach was chasing him, saying, “Where did that guy go?”
Sanjay Manjrekar said that once, Ajit Wadekar started explaining the technique of playing cricket to Kambli, advising him to play in a certain way. Kambli immediately retorted, asking, “How many centuries have you scored in your career? I think you scored just one.” He used to tease Wadekar in this way. Despite this, their relationship was good, and Wadekar never took offense. Azhar says that Wadekar was a very supportive player, and he too would joke around with Kambli.
