Rashid Latif used to bring me letters from my fan in Pakistan: Vinod Kambli
While explaining the relations between India and Pakistan cricketers, former India batsman Vinod Kambli said Rashid Latif used to bring him letters from a fan in Pakistan.
Former India batsman Vinod Kambli has highlighted the friendship shared by players of the Indian and Pakistan cricket team back, explaining how Rashid Latif used to bring Kambli letters from his fan in Pakistan. Kambli, who made his India debut in 1991 in an ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah, revealed that even though the teams fought tooth and nail on the field, off it, the players were extremely warm towards each other.
“We were treated very well when we went to Pakistan. In fact, I have a fan, who was following my career since I made my debut in ‘91. He was from Karachi. And he used to send me letters [because] that time when there were no mobiles, no phone calls so he used to express himself through letters,” Kambli said on The Greatest Rivalry podcast.
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“And you won’t believe who used to bring those letters for me – Rashid Latif. He (the fan) used to go to Rashid Latif and gave all his letters to him and Rashid, whenever they used to come here, then I got it. So the fan following in Pakistan also, it’s still there. When I was playing and after I retired also, the fan following was there.”
Kambli scored 2477 runs from 104 ODIs for India. His India career spanned nine years, during which he made nine comebacks into the side, but failed to replicate the early success he enjoyed in his career. Against Pakistan, Kambli scored 354 ODI runs from 19 matches with a highest score of 65, and threw light on the kind of relationship he shared with some of the players of the Pakistan cricket team from the 1990s.
“Playing against Pakistan, on the field, we had the rivalry, but off the field, they are all my friends, Waqar [Younis], Wasim [Akram], and the rest of them, we had that kind of friendship which we still cherish. When we used to play, we gave our hearts out, we used to give our best,” Kambli said.
“But off the field, you can ask Waqar, I used to mix around with him, used to be with him. Wasim bhai, all of them were friends. We maintained that friendship since my debut. I still remember we played their Independence Cup, after we finished playing ours, we went there and that was my first time in Pakistan.”
