“For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t touch my bat for a month”- Virat Kohli admits of his feeling mentally down
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Virat Kohli
Former India skipper Virat Kohli has been struggling to contribute runs for Team India. Known for scoring 100s and 50s, since November 2019, this talismanic batsman’s failed to score a ton. He revealed recently of his feeling mentally down that made him take up the decision for a month’s break.
Kohli is also famous for his aggression and intensity on the field. But now, he revealed that he too is vulnerable and has been struggling mentally. In 2014 also, a young Kohli suffered from a mental health problem while touring England.
“For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t touch my bat for a month. I came to realisation that I was trying to fake my intensity a bit recently. I was convincing myself that no, you had the intensity. But your body was telling you to stop. The mind was telling me to take a break and step back,” Kohli said in a video shared by Star Sports.
“I’m looked at as a guy who is mentally very strong and I am. But everyone has a limit and you need to recognize that limit, otherwise things can get unhealthy for you. This period taught me a lot of things that I wasn’t allowing to come to surface. When they eventually came up, I embraced it,” he added.
After a forgetful season with the Royals Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, Kohli toured England alongside Team India in July. However, he could only muster up a mere 76 runs across one Test match, two T20Is and two ODIs. He then took a break from the sport and missed the two tours in West Indies and Zimbabwe.
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“I’m not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down”- Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli further added that he was feeling mentally down, that he is not shying from admitting this truth.
“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,” he further added.
But now, this modern-day great batsman will be seen in action in the Asia Cup 2022 where India will start its campaign against Pakistan on Sunday, August 28. Fans are desperate to watch him get back in form and score some good runs against Pakistan.
Notably, Kohli has a decent record against Pakistan. In last year’s T20 World Cup, when India kept losing wickets, Kohli stayed at the crease to add stability by playing a half-century knock. The match against Pakistan will also be Kohli’s 100th T20 match.
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Gouri Das
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