DTVHINDI
Until the last few years, mental health was not talked about openly in cricket, but now the players have come forward to talk about their struggles.
Virat Kohli to Sachin Tendulkar, Cricketer who was in Depression: Cricketer Graham Thorpe, who was suffering from depression, committed suicide last week. Thorpe’s wife Amanda said that the former cricketer was unable to bear the stress and anxiety and so he decided to take his life. After this, mental health is once again being discussed in the sports world. However, this is not a new issue. Which has never been discussed openly.
Mental health was not openly talked about in cricket for the past few years, but now players have come out to talk about their struggles. Big cricketers not only addressed their depression publicly but also chose to keep themselves away from the grueling schedule.
Let’s take a look at those cricketers who are suffering from dangerous diseases like depression and stress
ben stokes
Current England Test captain Ben Stokes opened up about his mental health in 2021. He took a six-month break from the game in 2021 after suffering from panic attacks.
In a documentary film, the legendary all-rounder had revealed that he is still taking medication for stress and depression and he also regularly talks to a mental health expert.
Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell, one of the best power hitters in the world, took a break from cricket in 2019 due to mental stress. Then the then coach Justin Langer helped him and encouraged him. When Maxwell found himself mentally fit, he returned to cricket and performed brilliantly.
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli was not able to score runs as expected in the year 2014 and at that time he was becoming a victim of depression, but he did not say anything about it then. During a press conference in the year 2019, Kohli talked about this and said, “I was not feeling well mentally. I was getting away from cricket those days.” However he overcame the problem and everything turned out fine.
Sachin Tendulkar
You won’t believe it but legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, who scored 100 centuries in his career, has also been a victim of stress and depression. Sachin had said that there was a time for 10-12 years when he could not sleep till midnight before the match. Later he made it a part of his preparation. Then he learned to keep himself busy in other things to divert his attention.
Jonathan Trott
Trott, a former England batsman and current Afghanistan coach, also struggled with mental health problems at the peak of his career. He left the 2013 Ashes series midway, citing a ‘long-standing stress-related’ condition as the reason for his decision. However, he tried to make a comeback in the county circuit but could not do much there and quit the game due to stress.
Sarah Taylor
2009 T20 World Cup and 2017 World Cup winner Sarah Taylor was perhaps England’s best ever wicketkeeper-batter but she quit the game after battling mental health problems (Female Cricketers who faced stress and depression). Throughout his career he took breaks several times and eventually retired from the game to get away from stress and depression.
Suzy Bates
Former New Zealand captain Suzie Bates suffered from mental health issues and said that ‘cricket is the worst sport for mental health.’
