For many cricketers, 40 would be an age to consider retirement. But for 42-year old Pravin Tambe, this is just the beginning.
The leg spinner slogged hard and struggled to be noticed in the public, but was time and again overlooked due to presence of stalwarts like Sairaj Bahutule, Ramesh Powar, Nilesh Kulkarni, etc. However, the veteran never lost hope and continued to press for his claim. Tambe was named in the probables for the Mumbai Ranji team in 2000, but didn't feature in the playing eleven. His patience was finally rewarded with a call-up to the Mumbai side in the 2013 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
In the same year, he was usurped by the Rajasthan team for the sixth season of Indian T20 league. Finally he made his first-class debut for Mumbai Ranji team versus Odisha. Although his age is against him, his spirit isn't and that's why Rajasthan used the 'Right to Match' for him at Rs. 10 lakhs in the 2014 auction.
