Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli

NEW DELHI: Virendra Kambli, brother of former India cricketer Vinod Kambli, has shed light on the bond between his brother and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, clarifying that Vinod never claimed to be more talented than Sachin, contrary to popular belief. Both players burst onto the scene as emerging stars in the late 1980s and early 1990s, but their careers followed very different trajectories.While the duo began their journeys together, Tendulkar went on to become one of the greatest players in cricket history, whereas Kambli’s international career came to an end in 2000 after representing India in 17 Tests and 104 ODIs.“Both had the same talent. You can’t say my brother was greater than Sachin or vice versa. They were both the same. I never heard my brother say he was better than Sachin,” Virendra told Vickey Lalwani in an interview.Virendra stressed that the bond between Tendulkar and Vinod remains intact, with the batting legend continuing to stay in touch with his old friend and his wife, Andrea Hewitt.“Sachin dada has always supported Vinod. Their friendship is still very strong. Sachin calls and checks on him with Andrea,” Virendra shared.Reflecting on their cricketing days, Virendra recalled the camaraderie the two shared during matches.“Sachin dada. He was closest to him. I don’t know about others, but I saw them together when I went to watch Ranji Trophy matches. I would go to the dressing room to eat, and Sachin dada, Vinod, and I would sit together and have fun. We would joke around and have a good time,” he said.Kambli’s career statistics underline his talent, with a Test batting average of over 54. Tendulkar, meanwhile, went on to rewrite history books, finishing as the all-time leading run-scorer in both Tests and ODIs.