We read about former sportspersons, mostly non-cricketers, facing financial stress. Cricketers, both present and former, are believed to be doing very well. But Vinod Kambli, who achieved stardom in the field of Indian cricket in the 1990s, is facing a financial crunch like anything.

Mid-Day has interviewed him and found out that he is ready to take up any cricket-related assignment to maintain himself and his family. He receives a monthly pension of Rs 30,000 from the BCCI, thanks to which he and his family are able to survive in Mumbai. But that is just about adequate.

Kambli's childhood friend, Sachin Tendulkar, helped him bag a cricket-related assignment but the term came to an end recently. Kambli told the newspaper that Tendulkar has always been there for him and that he is grateful for that.

"Sachin knows everything, but I am not expecting anything from him. He gave me the Tendulkar Middlesex Global Academy assignment," Kambli said.

"Kambli has the highest career batting average for an Indian test cricketer of 54 but he played his last test when he was just 23 years old. Thereafter, he was only considered to play for one-day international matches, although his last appearance in that format was also at the young age of 28," says a Wiki entry.