Rahul Dravid's advice to Indian U-19 players: IPL not the be all and end all

What's the story?

India U-19 coach, Rahul Dravid, in an interview with The Times, opened up about what his message was to the Indian Under-19 cricketers prior to the Indian Premier League auctions this year. The auctions took place during the U-19 World Cup and Dravid had to ensure that the players did not let the news bother them.

“It was a difficult week but we didn’t ignore it. How could we? It’s human nature. Also, the levels of communication now through social media are so far removed from when I first came here and we were using coins in slots to ring home, you know you can’t hold back that tide. So we talked about it and tried to emphasise that’s it’s not the be all and end all for those picked or those ignored,” he said.

“I feel that in every generation, whether there’s money or not, there will be those who are driven to keep achieving and those who are not. That’s what defines great sportsmen,” he continued.

In case you didn't know...

The Indian U-19 side won their third World Cup this year as the Prithvi Shaw led side defeated Australia in the final of the tournament which was held in New Zealand.

The details

Out of the entire Indian U-19 squad, seven players were chosen to be a part of the IPL, namely Prithvi Shaw, Shubhman Gill, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shivam Mavi, Manjot Kalra, Abhishek Sharma, and Anukul Roy. Out of these seven, Nagarkoti was ruled out of the tournament due to an injury and Manjot Kalra did not play a single match.

What's next?

Out of the Indian U-19 stars who played in the IPL, they will now look to make a debut for the Indian cricket team soon. The likes of Shaw, Mavi, and Gill have made a mark for themselves and it might not be long before they star for the national side.