When Vinod Kambli was a teenager, many cricket commentators reckoned he was more talented than Sachin Tendulkar. It was initially easy to see why as he racked up consecutive double-hundreds against England at home, but his Test career was over at 23, despite an average of 54. Kambli, who has not played a first-class game for six years, officially announced his retirement from first-class cricket last month. In the Wall Street Journal, Richard Lord writes that Kambli’s career is a reflection of the thin line between success and failure, and how that line is often to be found in the head.

A batsman of gloriously uninhibited attacking inclinations, with a hint of the great West Indian Brian Lara in his technique, he was a clean hitter of the ball, but even more than that a sweet timer of it, with a full array of seemingly effortless attacking shots. He was particularly effective against spin bowling, his twinkle-toed nimbleness around the crease allowing him to move forward and back with speed and decisiveness, and helping to make him unusually effective at hitting over the top.