(If you feel like you may have mental health issues or know someone in distress, please reach out to them with kindness and call these numbers of local emergency services, helplines, and mental health NGOs)
Speaking to former England player Mark Nicholas on the ‘Not Just Cricket’ podcast, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli shared that he once felt like the ‘loneliest guy in the world’ after a series of failures, reported PTI.
When asked if he had battled depression in the past, he said, “Yes I did.”
He recalled these moments from a specifically difficult England tour in 2014, when he averaged 13.5 in 10 innings.
Sharing his experiences, he highlighted the importance of making professional help available for sportspersons.
"Personally, for me that was a revelation that you could feel that lonely even though you are part of a big group. I won't say I didn't have people who I could speak to but not having a professional to speak to who could understand what I am going through completely, I think is a huge factor. I think I would like to see it change."
"Lot of people suffer with that feeling for longer periods of time, it carries on for months, it carries on for a whole cricket season, people are not able to get out of it," Kohli added.
"I strongly feel the need for professional help there to be very honest," he added.
(Written with inputs from PTI)
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