A few weeks ago, the video of a frail Vinod Kambli went viral when he met cricket great and his old fry Sachin Tendulkar at the inauguration of their coach Ramakant Achrekar's memorial. A few days later, Kambli was admitted to hospital due to a health emergency. Former players like Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev expressed their concerns. Though Kambli has been sacked, he remains weak as a video of a meeting in Mumbai shows.
Some of Mumbai's cricket heroes, including legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar and former player Vinod Kambli, were felicitated by the Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) on Sunday at the opening event of the Wankhede Stadium's 50th anniversary celebrations. During that ceremony, the way Kambli walked to the stage showed how weak he still is. He even met Gavaskar and touched his feet.
Kambli, who was recently discharged from a local hospital after being admitted to the ICU on December 21 due to health complications, was also present on the occasion. He was seen being shown around while still on the recovery path.
Good to see the Great Vinod Kambli walking in his feet #50YearsWankhede#Vinodkambli pic.twitter.com/ckqsFRSkoa
— Kumar (@KumarlLamani) January 13, 2025
After his congratulations, Kambli spoke about his playing days at the iconic venue.
“I remember scoring my first double hundred here against England and then scoring many more hundreds in my career,” he said.
“If anyone wants to play for India like me or Sachin (Tendulkar), then I would advise that you should keep working hard and never stop doing that because that is what Sachin and I have done since our childhood.” Speaking on the occasion, MCA President Naik said, “The 50th anniversary of Wankhede Stadium is a special occasion for us. Today marked the beginning of the grand celebration.
“Our main aim behind this week-long event is to educate the next generation about Mumbai's cricketing history and the contributions of men and women players who played for Mumbai and to inspire the young generation to continue this legacy.”
As part of the week-long festivities, two exciting cricket matches involving teams of MCA, SJAM, Consul Generals and IAS officers were held.
Legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma and Dilip Vengsarkar will also be part of the grand festivities.
The other stalwarts expected to take part in the celebrations are former India skippers Ravi Shastri, Ajinkya Rahane, current T20I skipper Suryakumar Yadav and former women's national team captain Diana Edulji.
The main event will also feature Mumbai's legendary men's and women's players from domestic and international cricket.
With PTI inputs
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