IPL auction week was stressful, I was worried, says India Under-19 coach Rahul Dravid

Mumbai: The week around the IPL auction was"stressful" and left India's U-19 coach Rahul Dravid "worried" as some of his players, in the middle of an incredible run in the World Cup, waited with bated breath to land lucrative contracts.

However, no distraction could come in their way of winning a record fourth U-19 World Cup title, as they comprehensively beat Australia in the final. "That week during the IPL auction was a bit stressful but credit to the boys, once that was done they came back to practice and switched on. Only those three days I was a bit worried," the legendary Dravid said today.

The triumphant team arrived to a rousing reception here. In the first media interaction at home after the win, Dravid added, "We had some loose curfews, sometimes they followed it. What impressed me was the level of maturity they showed in the age of social media, most of which I am not even aware of."

Players such as skipper Prithvi Shaw, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Shubman Gill and Anukul Roy are some of the players who ended up earning big bucks. In the run-up to the two-day auction, Dravid was expecting his boys to have full focus on their campaign in the World Cup and not get distracted by the hype around the auction.