U-19 World Cup : Focus on World Cup and not IPL auction, says Rahul Dravid
Fresh of their quarter-final victory against neighbours Bangladesh, Indian coach Rahul Dravid has asked his players to keep their eyes on the prize as the IPL auction date soon approaches. A total of 9 members of Indian U-19 squad will go under the hammer on Sunday at the IPL auctions.
The U-19 Indian team have set up a clash with arch-rivals Pakistan in the semi-finals at the U-19 World Cup being played in New Zealand. The boys have been at the top of their game ever since the start of the tournament and they thrashed neighbours Bangladesh by a margin of 131-runs in the quarter-finals. Kamlesh Nagarkoti continued his impressive display as he ended the day with figures 3/18 with India bowling Bangladesh out for 134 in 42.1 overs.
The auction for players is set to take place this weekend in Bangalore but India coach Rahul Dravid doesn't want his boys to look beyond their immediate challenge - Pakistan in the Semi-final. Dravid issued a rallying cry ahead of the semi-final stating, 'One or two auctions won't make or break players.'
"There's no point hiding from the fact that it is there. It is around the corner. There's no point living in the bubble and pretending it doesn't exist. We do discuss it. We've spoken about what their focus should be and what their long-term goals are as compared to their short-term goals," Dravid said in an interview with Cricinfo.
Of the 578 cricketers who will go under the hammer during the auction, U-19 team captain Prithvi Shaw along with Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Shubman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Arshdeep Singh, and
Rahul Dravid also said that the IPL auction would come every year but not
“The auction is not something the boys can control. One or two auctions won’t really have a long-term impact on their careers. There is an auction every year, but not every year will they have an opportunity to play for India in possibly a World Cup semi-final. That doesn’t come very often,” Dravid added.
India topped their group after winning all three of their group games against Australia, Papua New Guinea, and Zimbabwe. India
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