Tendulkar drops by India's U-19 training camp

Sachin Tendulkar paid a surprise visit at National Cricket Academy camp for India's U-19 cricketers held in Dharamsala on Wednesday.

Sachin Tendulkar during a chat with India's U-19 cricketers.

It was a Wednesday morning with a difference for India's U-19 cricketers as they had a surprise visitor in Sachin Tendulkar.

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A group of 25 U-19 cricketers-- including Tendulkar's son Arjun-- are taking part in a National Cricket Academy camp at the scenic Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium in Dharamsala for the last few days. The former India batsman spent a good couple of hours with the youngsters, giving them advise on how to beat the odds and focus on the performance.

As the youngsters trained under the watchful eyes of the NCA coaches--Paras Mmabhrey, WV Raman, Ajay Ratra, Narendra Hirwani and Abhay Sharma--Tendulkar made it a point to observe each and every player closely.

Even as Arjun bowled at the nets, Tendulkar made it a point to ensure that the focus was not on him. "Sachin was there for the entire session and he kept an eye on how the kids were bowling and batting. After the session got over, he interacted with them for some 40 minutes. It was a great moment for all the kids," former India cricketer and head of HPCA Academy, Vikram Rathour, who was also present for the session, told Sportstar .

So, what did the young guns ask him during the interactive session?

"The questions were mainly on how he handled pressure and how he prepared for the big games. He gave elaborate answers. It was a great learning for the boys," Rathour said.

During the long session, Tendulkar also interacted with the coaches--most of who have been his team-mates in the past--to find out about the present lot of cricketers.

Tendulkar will be there in Dharamsala for the next two days and will unveil the foundation stone of the new stadium by the HPCA.