Sehwag: Australian players are scared because of next year's IPL auction

Former India opener Virender Sehwag said yesterday that Australian players are more concerned about bagging lucrative IPL deals during next year's auction and this prevented them from sledging their Indian counterparts during the recently concluded series that the hosts won 4-1.

Virender Sehwag

"They (Australian players) are scared because of the next year's mega IPL auction. If they had sledged the Indian players in the ODI series, then the Indian franchise owners might think before bidding high for the Australian players. This can also be a reason for them not to get involved in sledging with their Indian counterparts,"
Sehwag told India TV.

Sehwag had recently said he missed out on becoming the Indian cricket team's chief coach for the lack of patronage from the powers that be in the BCCI and will not apply for the position again.

Australia skipper Steven Smith

Sehwag lost out to Ravi Shastri, who was touted as the choice of skipper Virat Kohli - an appointment that was not unanimous with former India captain Sourav Ganguly, a member of the Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC), strongly against the decision.

"Dekhiye main coach isliye nahi ban paaya kyonki jo bhi coach chun rahe the unse mera koi setting nahin tha. (Look I couldn't become the (India) coach because I didn't have any setting (common slang for hobnobbing with decision-makers) with those who were in power of appointing the coach)," Sehwag had told India TV during a chat show.

Sehwag also observed that Australian team is overtly dependant on Steve Smith and David Warner, which has also put them under pressure. "I think the Australian team was playing under pressure because they don't have all the great players now. Their team was dependent on two or three players - David Warner, Steve Smith and Aaron Finch," he said.