Sachin Tendulkar took the elevator, I took to the stairs, says Vinod Kambli

New Delhi: Vinod Kambli is probably the only rising star in Indian cricket who nosedived himself in to the ocean of darkeness.His school mate and once a very close friend Sachin Tendulkar, along with whom Kambli learnt the art of batting, has enjoyed a stellar career. It was once speculated that Sachin could have been upstaged by Vinod Kambli, a highly gifted batsman, but he lacked dedication and perseverance.Kambli's story, particularly when placed beside that of his childhood friend, Tendulkar, is a modern tale of how quickly shining paths in sports can lead to a deadend once the small details are ignored.A year older than Tendulkar, Kambli was every bit as much the schoolboy prodigy as his fluffy-haired pal.When the pair played for Shardashram Vidyamandir School against St Xavier's College in 1988, they shared an unbeaten stand of 664, a record in itself. There wasn't much problem between them as far as run making was concerned.When their unbeaten partnership 664 came in to limelight, Mumbai buzzed with excited talk of the city's two emerging teenage stars.In 1989, England had a warm-up game for the Nehru Cup in Delhi, and both played England bowlers like Angus Fraser, Phil DeFreitas and Eddie Hemmings.It was a 50-over match which England won and both made unbeaten half-centuries.Within a month, Tendulkar made his Test debut against Pakistan but Kambli had to wait another three years to join him. This gap caused him to later quip that "while Sachin has taken the elevator, I have taken to the stairs." Kambli soon made up for lost time, and made a double hundred in front of his home crowd in Mumbai against England in his third Test. After seven Tests, Kambli had scored 773 runs at an average of 113.2. Only cricketing icons Don Bradman, Sunil Gavaskar, Everton Weekes, George Headley and Frank Worrell have scored more. Suddenly there was this guy standing just next to Little Lord Sachin.After getting name and fame, Kambli was sucked into the fame game and began to be known as a celebrity cricketer who had the passion for bling and booze. His off the field lifestyle irked those running the cricket in India.Kambli's fall was sudden and permanent. Bowlers exploited his weakness against short-pitched fast bowling. Most batsmen having an average of 54.2, are given the chance to iron out any flaws. Not Kambli, and while his one-day career stuttered on until the 2000 ICC Trophy in Nairobi, he never played another Test.So as Tendulkar gears up to play his 199th and 200th Tests in November this year, just remember his old mate Kambli - a man with talent to burn, and a compulsion to set it alight at both end.