India’s batting talisman Virat Kohli says that a recent run drought had impacted his well-being and that he had been faking intensity to demonstrate that everything was fine.
Kohli and other leading cricketers such as England test captain Ben Stokes have been opening up on their mental health concerns.
Battling depression
Kohli himself said recently that he had suffered from depression after a string of failures with the bat during India’s tour of England in 2014.
One of the world’s best batsmen in his prime, the former India captain has endured a prolonged lean patch and has failed to register an international century since scoring his 70th in a test match in November 2019.
Up close and personal with @imVkohli!
Coming back from a break, Virat Kohli speaks about the introspection, the realisation and his way forward! 👍
Full interview coming up on https://t.co/Z3MPyeKtDz 🎥
Watch this space for more ⌛️ #TeamIndia | #AsiaCup2022 | #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/fzZS2XH1r1
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After a month’s rest, when he skipped India’s white-ball tours of the West Indies and Zimbabwe, Kohli will return to action at the Asia Cup.
“For the first time in 10 years I have not touched a bat in a month.”…. “I came to the realisation that I was kind of trying to fake my intensity a bit, recently.” Kohli tells Asia Cup broadcasters Star Sports.
“You are convincing yourself ‘No, I have the intensity’. But your body is telling you to stop. Your mind’s telling you to take a break and step back.” Kohli adds.
Extended break to focus on mental well-being
England’s Stokes said this week that he took an extended break from cricket last year to focus on his mental well-being after experiencing panic attacks following the death of his father almost two years ago.
India will begin their Asia Cup title defence against arch-rivals Pakistan on Sunday, and pundits are backing Kohli to return to form.
Kohli adds, “I’m looked at as a guy who is mentally very strong, and I am,”… “But everyone has a limit, and you need to recognise that limit, otherwise things can get unhealthy for you.”
“I’m not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down. This is a very normal thing to feel, but we don’t speak because we are hesitant. We don’t want to be looked at as mentally weak. Trust me; faking to be strong is far worse than admitting to be weak.” Kohli says.
The #NationalT20Cup is just five days away from commencement 🏏
🎥 Let’s recap the performances of last season’s top five run-scorers 👏
Which batter will lead the charts this time❓ pic.twitter.com/Q9SVe9neRi
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 25, 2022
