Sydney, Mar 20 (ANI): Australian head coach Mickey Arthur has admitted that he had put his 'neck on the line' with the cultural shake-up of the touring Australian squad in India that led to the suspension of four players, including vice-captain Shane Watson, from the Mohali Test.

Although Arthur said that he had risked his job with the team shuffle, he added that he that he did that because he is very passionate about Australian cricket and the current team, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Stating that he does not like to sit back and let things drift, the coach said that he is empowered to run, coach and get the team back to the pinnacle of success, adding that current team has a young group of players who often needed to shown the right way to toe the line.

Arthur further said that if a team has older and senior players then it governs itself and makes the job easier for the coach, adding that for a young team, a coach needed to grab the team and force-feed the players to make them understand their responsibilities.

Arthur also said the players, including those suspended, had responded well since the turmoil of last week, adding that he wants the team to achieve ultimate success and get to number one in the world.

The 44-year-old South African has borne the brunt of criticism for the unprecedented move to suspend vice-captain Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Mitchell Johnson and Usman Khawaja from the third Test in Mohali, which India won by six wickets on Monday, the report added.

Meanwhile, the embattled coach, who had boasted of more than 33,000 followers, had announced on Twitter that he is quitting the social networking site, following heavy criticism because of Australia's disappointing performances in Border-Gavaskar Test series in India. (ANI)