Even as Mumbai’s Ranji players got busy with their practice session ahead of their crucial Ranji Trophy elite group match against Hyderabad beginning Tuesday, they were in for a surprise.

Sachin Tendulkar made an appearance and spent time with the players at the nets, and the players could not have asked for more. Except, perhaps, the one question which nobody dared to ask: whether the master blaster would be out in the middle, come Tuesday.

During the 45-minutes he spent at the Mumbai Cricket Association’s (MCA) Bandra Kurla Complex ground — hosting its first-ever first-class match — the world’s top run-getter shared his thoughts with every player of the team individually.

“Frankly speaking, I didn’t expect Tendulkar to be here, but it’s great to have him around. The boys will be certainly motivated,” admitted Mumbai captain Wasim Jaffer.

In their last game against Saurashtra at Rajkot, Mumbai had struggled to stave off an innings defeat. For opener Ajinkya Rahane, who scored a miserable 0 and 5 in that match, a session with Tendulkar was precious. “Tendulkar told me not to think too much and to just play my natural game. Ball bagoon shot khel (play your shot according to the ball). he told me, ‘you have the potential to play a long innings, so just be focused and try to spend as much time possible at the wicket’,” Rahane said. Fellow-opener Sahil Kukreja also spend time with Tendulkar. "He didn't go into the technical details and gave more emphasis to watching the bowler deliver the ball," Kukreja said.

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