‘Sachin Tendulkar Encouraged Me to Start Coaching,’ Says Kambli

Vinod Kambli said he took up coaching on the advice of his friend and one-time teammate Sachin Tendulkar.

Former India batsman Vinod Kambli said that he took up coaching on the advice of his friend and one-time teammate Sachin Tendulkar.

Tendulkar and Kambli were students of the famed coach Ramakant Achrekar and both went on to play for India and their friendship was well known to all.

Kambli credited Tendulkar for bringing him back on a cricket field, not as a player but as a coach.

When I retired from cricket, it had occurred to me, now what, I thought I will do commentary on TV, but my love has always been cricket, so I got on to the field.

Vinod Kambli

The former left handed batsman was speaking to reporters after a cricket coaching academy was launched at the Bandra Kurla Complex of the Mumbai Cricket Association, where Kambli will be conducting the sessions.

"Sachin (Tendulkar) knows how much I love cricket, so he said to me why don't you start coaching, so I would say that I have embarked on a path which he (Tendulkar) has shown and I have started on it," Kambli, the first Indian to score two back-to-back double hundreds, told reporters.

So I would say that he (Tendulkar) has a big hand in bringing me back onto the field. Whatever we have learnt from (Ramakant) Achrekar sir, so I think the time has come, to pass it on to the next generation, if the youngsters can take advantage of this, it will be great.

Vinod Kambli

I would like to inculcate the values that Achrekar sir has passed on specially getting the basis right all the time, whether you are playing for the school, or Ranji Trophy or for your country.

Vinod Kambli

"(The) one thing which I always remember which I am going to pass on to the students, usually people say practice makes a man perfect but my coach (Achrekar) sir used to say perfect practice makes a man perfect, so that's how me and Sachin and all his students worked towards having a perfect practice," he said.

He said the role of a coach was 30 percent and that of the players was 70 percent.

Asked how important was Vidharbha coach Chandrakant Pandit's role in their maiden Ranji Trophy win, Kambli said:

Chandu, everybody knows, he has been my coach as well, really enjoyed playing under him, all I can say is that 30 percent is the (role of) coach and 70 percent is the player but that 30 percent is equal to 100 percent.

Vinod Kambli

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