Khalid Ansari (Khalid Abdul Hamid Ansari), an Indian businessman, journalist and the Chairman of the Mid-Day Group of publications based in Mumbai, sat down for a candid interview with journalist Vickey Lalwani. During the conversation, Khalid opened up about the bittersweet legacy of former Indian cricketer Vinod Kambli, calling Vinod a better player than even Sachin Tendulkar.
During the interview, Vickey Lalwani highlighted Vinod Kambli’s widely discussed financial hardships and recent health struggles. While modern public discourse often focuses on Kambli’s personal choices, past partying habits, and battles with alcohol, Lalwani asked Khalid whether he doesn’t think the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) should step in to provide the former left-handed batsman with a structured support system.
Recalling Vinod Kambli during his playing days, Khalid shared he knew about him but didn’t know him well.
However, the businessman emphasized that, contrary to the claims, he has never seen Vinod misbehaving at a party; he has heard all kinds of stories about him, but he has no hands-on experience seeing him drunk or anything like that.
“He was a great talent,” Ansari remarked, pointing out a sentiment shared by many contemporary experts at the time. Khalid also recalled that during their teenage years playing at the iconic Shivaji Park in Dadar, Mumbai, several local coaches and seasoned talent scouts genuinely believed Kambli was better than Sachin Tendulkar at that age, when they were playing for the same club in the Shimla Dazra area.
Not doubting Vinod’s talent, he called his situation a tragedy: India lost a brilliant cricketer.
Kambli’s early-career metrics certainly backed that assessment; he famously blasted two double centuries in his first seven Test matches, maintaining a phenomenal Test average of 54.20.
