Virat Kohli he is one of the most important members of the current Indian team heading to the Asian Cup and the World Cup in Australia. Before the Asian Cup clash against Pakistan, Kohli admitted to being mentally drained and unable to do the things that came naturally to him before.
Kohli has been out without an international hundred for nearly three years, but his slump took its toll on him, as he revealed he was sometimes “faking intensity” in trying to show that he is the epitome of mental toughness.
“I am not ashamed to admit that I felt mentally depressed,” the former India captain told “Star Sports” on an episode of “Virat: Heart to Heart.”
After the tour, Kohli took a break, skipping two cue ball series in the West Indies and Zimbabwe.
“For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t touch my bat for a month. I realized I was trying to fake my intensity a little bit recently,” Kohli said.
“I convinced myself that no, that you had the intensity. But your body was telling you to stop. My mind was telling me to take a break and step back.”
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Mental health issues are a reality, and as Ben Stokes said in his docu-series, Kohli also spoke about the need to not hold back feelings.
“This is a very normal thing to feel, but we don’t speak out because we hesitate. We don’t want to be seen as mentally weak. Believe me, pretending to be strong is much worse than admitting that we are weak.” “
Kohli’s last international century came during the pink ball Test against Bangladesh at Eden Gardens in 2019. His highest score in his last five matches, including two ODIs, two T20Is and one Test, has been 20 in defeat to India. against England in the rescheduled fifth. Proof.
Kohli, who gave up his captaincy at Royal Challengers Bangalore, also had a quiet IPL-15, scoring 341 runs in 16 games at an average of 22.73.
“They see me as a guy who is mentally very strong and I am. But everyone has a limit and you have to recognize that limit, otherwise things can get unhealthy for you,” he said.
“This period taught me a lot of things that I wasn’t allowed to come to the surface. When they finally surfaced, I accepted it.”
Also read: It’s time for us to behave! Cricket, mental health and the dark side of the fandom
Kohli will now return to action in India’s first Asian Cup match against Pakistan on August 28.
“I want my team to win no matter what it takes and if that means I’m short of breath when I walk off the field, then so be it,” he said.
“I mean that’s the kind of preparation I go through to be able to play like that. Wo naturally Nahi ho raha tha aur mujhe push karna pad raha tha (I couldn’t get that high intensity naturally, I was pushing myself to do But I just didn’t know,” Kohli said.
On his high-intensity approach on the field, Kohli said: “People ask me a lot, how do you do this on the field and how do you keep up with such intensity.
“I just tell them that I love to play and I love the fact that I have so much to contribute on every ball, and I will give every inch of my energy on the field.”
Mental health is a real issue and it’s encouraging to see players like Virat Kohli speak openly about it. The stigma surrounding it needs to go away and this is the step in the right direction.
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