Melbourne: Former Australian captain Michael Clarke has claimed that the Australian cricketer was so desperate to retain his breathtaking contract in the Indian Premier League (IPL) that they were scared to sledge the Indian Captain Virat Kohli.

There have been some memorable bilateral matches between India and Australia, but Clarke believes that whenever Australian players face India, they keep their eyes on the IPL to be held in April-May every year.

Scared of sledging Virat Kohli & Co.

“Everybody knows how powerful India is in regards to the financial part of the game, internationally or domestically with the IPL,” Clarke told Big Sports Breakfast.

“I feel that Australian cricket, and probably every other team over a little period, went the opposite and actually sucked up to India. They were too scared to sledge Kohli or the other Indian players because they had to play with them in April.

Australia’s character compromised due to IPL

Australia’s World Cup-winning captain feels that Austr alia’s character of being ruthless on the field was compromised.