A sweet surprise awaits U-16 boys currently undergoing a coaching camp in Dimapur, Nagaland. The boys from the five North East states - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Nagaland – will have an opportunity to interact with Cheteshwar Pujara, India’s solid top-order batsman. Pujara will visit Dimapur and train the boys for two days as part of the overall focus of the BCCI to nurture talent and boost cricket activities in the region.
Known for his impregnable technique, Pujara said he was looking forward to spend time with budding cricketers. “It is an honour for me to share my experience with young cricketers. It is a nice initiative by the by the Board to promote cricket in the North East. We need to nurture the talent in smaller states,” Pujara told BCCI.TV
Apart from the U-16 camp in Dimapur, an U-19 camp is also underway in Shillong. Both the camps are being overseen by former India internationals, National Cricket Academy (NCA) appointed coaches, physios, trainers and video analysts.
The NCA is also conducting Zonal Camps for U-16 & U-19, where 25 players from every Zone – East, Central, North, West & South – are being given an all-round training. Pujara felt having Zonal camps is a big plus in the off-season. “I have been a beneficiary of the system. Saurashtra now is a strong centre, but earlier we were not in the same league as Mumbai or Karnataka. I was picked for the camps in the NCA and trained in Bangalore. Being a part of the NCA helped me in my early days.”
The 28-year-old said he would look to encourage the boys. “I will share my experience of playing domestic and international cricket with them. I will guide them how one must prepare before a game so that when they play competitive games, they are well equipped and can perform well. Since they are young, it is appropriate to make them aware about the importance of preparations to succeed at higher level."
