India, Aug. 21 -- For Indian cricket fans who remember the earliest chatter of a young Sachin Tendulkar breaking through the ranks and establishing himself as a player for India's future, there was always a second name in the equation. You couldn't hear Sachin without Vinod, Tendulkar without Kambli, as the two young Mumbai stars made a name for themselves on the maidaans and through to the domestic circuit.

It is a bond that was established while they were youngsters, but one which remains intact even in the modern day, as Vinod Kambli struggles to battle against illness and faces a long road to recovery after poor health in recent years.

Kambli's younger brother Virendra revealed that this bond between the pair, which once saw them pu...