Dravid asks boys not to get distracted by IPL auctions

With IPL auctions due this weekend, current U19 coach Rahul Dravid has demanded focus from the Indian colts ahead of their quarter-final clash against Bangladesh scheduled on Friday.

New Delhi: With IPL auctions due this weekend, current U19 coach Rahul Dravid has demanded focus from the Indian colts ahead of their quarter-final clash against Bangladesh scheduled on Friday.

Captain Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Arshdeep Singh and Harvik Desai are the players from the current U19 squad who will be up for auctions this year in the cash-rich league.

Though Dravid said that he has had discussions with the boys about the IPL but for now he is expecting that the boys don’t get distracted thinking about the lucrative deals from franchises and instead focus on their immediate challenge.

"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," the former India captain told 'ESPNCricinfo'.

‘The Wall’ who has been one of India’s finest batsmen said that the auctions will come every year but the opportunity of representing the country in a World Cup comes rare.

"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 a World Cup. That doesn't come very often," Dravid said.

Three-time champions India have played superbly in the group stages under the captaincy of sensational Prithvi Shaw and are front-runners in race for the title.