Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli opens up about being 'mentally down' in candid interview

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Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli opens up about being ‘mentally down’ in candid interview

Talking about the break from cricket he told that it was the first time in the last 10 years when he did not pick the bat for a month.

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August 27, 2022 18:03 IST
Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli opens up about being ‘mentally down’ in candid interview
Asia Cup 2022: Virat Kohli opens up about being ‘mentally down’ in candid interview

New Delhi: Virat Kohli opened up about mental health and being down in a ‘candid’ interview. The interview was conducted by Jatin Sapru for Star Sports. The talk was around Asia Cup, India-Pakistan clashes and Virat’s mental health.

The interview was conducted during Virat’s photoshoot with the Asia Cup trophy. Sapru asked him about the 183 against Pakistan in the 2012 Asia Cup and the atmosphere around the India-Pakistan clash. Answering that, Virat mentioned that the ‘183 stands out’ for him as it was a big chase against Pakistan. The batter added that the atmosphere of the India-Pakistan clash is different from any other game, but as a player, it is like any other game.

Picture courtesy:: AFP

As they both came out in the heat of Dubai, they laughed about the ‘loo ke bhapke’ in Delhi. Virat said that the best thing is that they are playing in the evening. While congratulating Virat as he is about to become the first Indian cricketer to play 100 games across all three formats, Jatin quizzed him about who is the other international player to do so. Kohli quickly answered, “Ross Taylor,” and told that he did not know and someone just recently told him about it. Adding to it he said that he interprets it differently and sees it as consistency, longevity, challenge and growth.

Talking about the break from cricket he told that it was the first time in the last 10 years when he did not pick the bat for a month. Being candid, King Kohli went on to say that he was faking the intensity when he actually required a break. During the break he tried to understand who is he as a human being, looking beyond the profession. Being honest he said that he has always followed his heart and accepted that he was once not mature enough.

The cricketer further added that he was not at times excited to train and practice, and that disturbed him. Talking about fulfilling demands and having tight schedules he gave examples of Ben Stokes, who recently retired for ODIs, Trent Boult, who gave up the New Zealand contract and Moeen Ali, who retired from Tests.

When Jatin Sapru asked how is he feeling now, Virat answered that he is feeling light. He admitted that he was once mentally down and said, “Faking to be strong is far worse than admitting to be weak.”

Picture courtesy: Getty Images

Talking about the T20 format and intent, Virat said that the team has been playing with an aggressive intent for a long time and the format might change but the fundamentals of the sport are the same. Jatin took the conversation to the relationship between Virat and Babar. Talking about the same, Virat said that he had his first interaction with Pakistan’s captain during the 2019 World Cup when Babar wanted to have a chat. He added that the respect and regard have not changed even after Babar has become the top batter across formats.

The interviewer asked about the feeling when the national anthem plays before the game, to which Virat said that he experienced unity and energy when the national anthem played in the 2011 World Cup. In the end, India’s former captain asked the fans to support the team in the upcoming two big tournaments, which are, the Asia Cup 2022 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

In a similar interview for BCCI, Kohli shared his experience of taking a break and introspecting. He talked about the things he realised and what is kept for him ahead.

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