Vinod Kambli,  the famous talent, celebrates his birthday on January 18. . Having started off as a precociously talented school cricketer in Mumbai, Kambli failed to live up to the expectations in 17 Tests and 104 One-Day Internationals (ODIs). Nishad Pai Vaidya picks 16 facts one should know about Kambli.

A Humble Life beginning: Vinod Kambli was born in a poor family that lived in a chawl in Kanjurmarg, one of the suburbs of Mumbai. Ganpat, his father, a mechanic, struggled to provide for the family's seven members. In order to get to Shivaji Park for practise, Kambli had to take his equipment in crowded local trains from Kanjurmarg. Kambli's father developed his quick bowling abilities while playing cricket in Mumbai clubs.

In school cricket, Kambli and Sachin Tendulkar's 664-run partnership made headlines all around the world. It used to be the largest partnership in any type of cricket played anywhere in the globe until a few years ago. Few people are aware that Kambli played well with the ball in the game as well. After Kambli scored 349 not out to help Sharadashram pile up 748 for two, he continued to inflict pain by dismissing St. Xavier's School for 154 with a six-for-37 run session.
Kambli Participated in India Under-19 matches as Tendulkar debuts in a Test match.

When they were both extraordinarily gifted children, Kambli and Tendulkar were inevitably linked by fate. Kambli had to wait an additional year before making his Ranji Trophy debut against Gujarat, whereas Tendulkar faced the same opponents in 1988. Kambli was chosen for the India under-19 team to compete in the Asia Youth Cup in December 1989, while Tendulkar was in Pakistan playing the dreadful Pakistan assault. Some of his teammates included Sourav Ganguly, Ranjib Biswal, Ajay Jadeja, Dhruv Pandove, and Aashish Kapoor.

Hitting a six to start the Ranji Trophy cricket: Kambli joined a select group of batsmen who made their First-Class debuts with a six when he played Gujarat in 1989, and he now joins them. That's Kambli, maverick, for you.
 Consecutive double tonnes:  Kambli made history in the months of February and March 1993 by scoring back-to-back double century in Test cricket. At his home stadium, Wankhede Stadium, he first scored 224 runs against England. Then, in Delhi, he backed it up with a 227-run innings against Zimbabwe.

Three straight Test innings with tonnes of runs: After those two consecutive doubles, Kambli's subsequent innings against Sri Lanka saw him achieve a century. In July 1993 in Colombo, he beat Sri Lanka and scored 125 points. Thus, he has multiple home runs in three straight Test innings. The fact that they have faced up against other nations is intriguing.

India's quickest to 1,000 Test runs: Kambli reached 1,000 runs in just 14 innings after scoring all those tonnes early in his Test career. He still holds the record for being the first Indian to reach the feat. He trails only Neil Harvey, Herbert Sutcliffe, Everton Weekes, Sir Don Bradman, and (who also took 14 innings, but only nine Tests when compared to Kambli s 12).
Gulf averages for the first and second innings: Records indicate that Kambli had difficulties in Tests' second innings. The average for his first inning is an incredible 69.13, but the average for his second essay is a pitiful 9.40. He never had the opportunity to do better than that because his Test career ended after 17 matches.

Birthday ODI tonnage : On his birthday, January 18, 1993, Kambli accomplished the rare achievement of scoring a One-Day International (ODI) tonne. At Jaipur, he defeated England with an unbroken 100. Among the other batsmen to have experienced a comparable sense of fulfilment on their birthdays are Tendulkar and Ross Taylor.

The deterioration starts with the 1996 World Cup: India had a humiliating World Cup exit in 1996. Kambli cried as she made her way back to the changing room during the tense moments of the semi-final match in Kolkata. He was quickly removed from the team. Kambli appeared in just 35 games between March 1996 and October 2000, when he played his final ODI, and he averaged 19.31. That semifinal marked the start of the collapse in many ways.