In a candid interview, Virat Kohli exposed his emotions and spoke candidly about his issues with mental health and how he overcame them.
In the second match of the 2022 Asia Cup, when India plays Pakistan, Virat Kohli is slated to make his comeback to cricket. Due to recent struggles, the top Indian batter was rested for the tours of Zimbabwe and the West Indies.
After taking a month off, Kohli is ready to go and is hoping to regain his previous form for the Asia Cup and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will take place in Australia.
The former Indian captain opened up about his recent difficulties and how they had a negative impact on his mental health before making a comeback, which caused him to miss a full month of play.
“For the first time in ten years, I went a month without touching my bat.” “, Kohli stated in a statement to Star Sports. “I hadn’t touched a bat in about 30 days when I sat down and gave it some thought. In my entire life, I have never done that.
“Recently, I realised that I had been trying to fake my intensity a little bit. I kept telling myself that you had the intensity, not me. Your body, however, is urging you to quit. Your subconscious is telling me to stop and back off.
“I am aware of what Ravi Bhai [Ravi Shastri] said on taking a break. He also talked about the workloads, the amount of cricket played, and how, compared to everyone else, I played 40 or 50% more matches in the last ten years. All of these things are incredibly simple to disregard.
“I’m seen as a man who has exhibited great mental fortitude, and I do. However, everyone has a limit, and you must be aware of it if you don’t want to spiral out of control.
Virat Kohli’s predicament for India | The ICC Review
This time period truly taught me a lot of lessons that I had been suppressing. I embraced it when they eventually surfaced.
“Life is much more than just what you do for a living. Or you start losing perspective as a human being when your setting is such that everyone just considers your professional identity.
On Sunday, when he will play his 100th T20I against Pakistan, Kohli spoke in detail about how his love for practising was impacted by his busy schedule.
“I’ve always been a man who, from the beginning, does what makes him happy. I never wanted or tried to be someone else, which in this recent phase I have been. I’ve made an effort to meet the demands and expectations, but I haven’t really felt my inner self entirely, as I was able to during this phase [away from the game].
It truly worried me because this is not who I am, and I literally needed to leave that environment when I noticed that I wasn’t motivated to practise or exercise.
“I’ve always been a man who, from the beginning, does what makes him happy. I never sought or tried to be someone else, which in this recent phase I have been. I’ve made an effort to meet the demands and expectations, but I haven’t really felt my inner self entirely, as I was able to during this phase [away from the game].
It truly worried me because this is not who I am, and I literally needed to leave that environment when I noticed that I wasn’t motivated to practise or exercise.
“I don’t have to keep up with this, or anything like that. So, that was my opening score. With so many expectations today, it’s easy to get carried away. You have already witnessed the effects of what occurred to Trent Boult and Ben Stokes. Moeen [Ali] has given up playing Test cricket. These aren’t abnormal occurrences, but they do occur, and those in touch with them are aware of what goes on in their lives.
According to Kohli, “I’m feeling light now for sure, and it wasn’t simply the workload of cricket.”
Kohli elaborated on his inability to express his emotions organically, saying that he wasn’t even aware that he was acting it out.
“I like to be involved in everything when I wake up and think, “Okay, let’s see what the day has in store for me.” Absolute involvement and presence are a part of how I go about my day, and that is who I have always been.
“When people ask me how I maintain such high levels of intensity on the field, I just reply that I enjoy playing the game and that I enjoy having so much to offer with each and every ball. I would give every ounce of my energy on the field, and for me, it never felt out of the ordinary.
If it meant that he was “gasping for breath” at the end of it all, Kohli said that he was the kind of person who would assist his team “win at any cost.”
“That was not a natural occurrence. I had to exert more effort. I was unaware of it. I had become into this admirable type of athlete. I am incredibly appreciative of the fact that I have inspired so many people, but it doesn’t mean you can stop being a person.
“I understand why people support and adore you; it’s because you always remained true to yourself. Even at these instances, I’m not ashamed to acknowledge that I was experiencing mental low points, which is a very normal emotion to experience.
Virat Kohli’s predicament for India | The ICC Review
“At the end of the day, I’m a human, and that should be something or a place where others can say, ‘If he can experience this, relax it’s acceptable to feel this way,’ because no one will think you are weak.
“You will receive assistance from sources you never anticipated, but we remain silent out of caution. We don’t want to come out as mentally unsound. It’s much worse to pretend to be strong, I assure you. I don’t feel guilty about feeling psychologically fragile.
