How Did Virat Kohli[Indian Cricketer] Fight with Performance Anxiety?

You will get help from people you never imagined, 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 that. I'm not feeling any shame that I was feeling mentally weak. - Virat Kohli

Performance Anxiety - How did Virat Fight with his Mental Health?

Mental health is so vital in life. It can impact every person going from an ordinary one to the most elite athlete like Virat Kohli, who is an aggressive player in style and a relentless pursuit of excellence. His candidness has opened the topic of mental health in sports.

Virat Kohli is a cricketing superstar who has unmatched success stories accredited to his name, with multiple records and accolades.

His journey has simply been one of lots of hard work. Kohli's mental health crisis, especially during the 2014 England tour, showcased the kind of pressure professional athletes have to endure.

Virat Kohli famously opened up about his struggles mainly with performance anxiety and depression as one of the most successful cricketers in the annals of the history of the sport. 

His inspiration has been in his transformation from suffering in silence to openly airing his problems to the public, something that has helped raise the hue and cry over mental health in sports. 

This blog goes further to in-depth coverage of Kohli's mental health, the therapy he undertook, and the big role his wife, Anushka Sharma, played in his recovery.

Background of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was born in Delhi, India, on November 5, 1988, and is widely regarded as one of the most successful cricketers of all time. 

He has had huge success in his career, being the fastest player to reach 8,000, 9,000, and 10,000 runs in One Day Internationals. 

He was voted the ICC Test Player of the Year in 2018 and has been selected in the ICC Test Team of the Year in 2017, 2018 and 2019.

He was also named as captain of the ICC Men's Test Team of the Decade, and in 2020 was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Award for the ICC Men's Cricketer of the Decade. - Source ICC Cricket

Kohli has been the captain for India across all formats and has led India to several different victories in cricket, thus he is very well known in the circles of cricket.

Kohli is an aggressive player, a relentless worker, and dedicated to fitness. What has made him a cricketing icon and a role model to many aspiring athletes in various sports is the sum of these qualities. 

But little does any reader know that behind this on-field success lies a lesser-known battle for mental health, specifically performance anxiety and depression.

What is Performance Anxiety

Performance anxiety is a major psychological disorder that causes a person extreme apprehension and fear of failure before or during a performance. In Kohli's case, the pressure to perform at high levels, with expectations from himself, has spiraled into anxiety and depression.

Symptoms of Performance Anxiety

• Racing pulse
• Excessive sweating
• Trembling
• Dry mouth
• Fear of failure

Virat Kohli's Mental Health Struggle

Kohli's mental health problems had some far-reaching implications and were felt around the office in his personal life. His performance on the field was grossly affected during the 2014 tour of England.

Just 134 runs in 10 innings added to grave self-doubt and anxiety. Off the field, these issues affected personal relationships and overall well-being.

It was during an interview with Mark Nicholas on the "Not Just Cricket" podcast that Kohli came out with revelations about his stint with depression during the 2014 England tour. 

He had, in a way, felt as if he was the "loneliest guy in the world" despite being in a team full of teammates surrounding him. He confessed that he couldn't fathom how to shake it off. Nothing helped.

Virat Kohli - Bravery to Speak Out on Mental Health

In his first interview with Mark Nicholas, Kohli said that during the tour, he was in a very "bad place" where he couldn't perform on the pitch, and off the pitch, he was found alone. 

Kohli decided to speak up so that the stigma typically related to mental health is reduced, especially in sports where such issues are usually flushed under the carpet.

Therapy and Professional Help

Kohli did not handle his mental problems on his own but sought professional help. He went to see a therapist who helped him in the recovery process.

In therapy, Kohli learns perhaps what the causes of this anxiety and depression are and makes him furnish means of controlling this situation. 

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is one of the most common therapies done to treat either anxiety or depression disorders, although Kohli has not stated on record precisely which kind he had undergone.

The objective of CBT is to help an individual recognize thoughts and ways of acting negatively and change them with ways of thinking productively.

This was during his therapy that Kohli learned how to deal with the immense pressure that was coming his way on the cricket field. This, in turn, built strategies for dealing with self-doubt and negative feelings he was experiencing, hence regaining his confidence and producing his best.

Lifestyle Changes

Other than therapy, Kohli had several lifestyle changes that support his mental and physical health. He went into this rigorous fitness program, which became his way of life. 

Routine exercise reduces symptoms associated with things like depression and anxiety through the production of endorphins, which become a natural mood booster.

Kohli was also into a balanced diet that resulted in the state of general well-being of his body. He cut down on junk food and took a nutritionally dense diet that not only supports the physical activities of the body but contributes to one's mental health.

He became quite fond of the mindfulness practices of meditation and yoga. This taught him coping skills with stress, focusing, and balancing his emotions. Meditation in particular fights anxiety by relaxing the body and rooting it into the present moment.

General 7 Tips on Fighting Depression

Below are general ideas to cope with depression :

1. Professional Help: A good therapist or counsellor will provide you with tools and strategies to help deal with depression.
2. Support System: One needs to surround themselves with friends and family who can provide the right kind of support to give one encouragement and understanding.
3. Mindfulness: This reduces stress, improves mental clarity, and is received in forms such as meditation, deep breathing exercises, and yoga.
4. Encourage activity: Activity can help boost energy and lift spirits, offsetting some of the physical symptoms of depression.
5. Schedule activities: Develop a daily routine. Plan out each day what activities you will be doing. Include several activities throughout the day that you look forward to.
6. Get rest: Aim for at least 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Sleep is a critical component of mental and emotional healing.
7. Avoid alcohol and other drugs: Alcohol and other drugs can increase the symptoms of depression and decrease the action of antidepressant medications.

The Role of Anushka Sharma in Virat Kohli's Recovery

His family and actress wife Anushka Sharma have supported him massively. Anushka is a big purveyor of mental health, so when it came to being on top of it, she made sure Kohli knew.

In an interview with Vogue India, Virat Kohli said how Anushka Sharma has stabilized his life, made him a better person, and helped him handle the pressure of his professional career.

There have been several instances where Kohli has spoken highly of Anushka Sharma's influence in his life, which he reiterated to Cricadium, too, saying she had a big role in his personal development and staying upright.

Anushka brought him a great deal of solace in knowing that she built a sort of cushion in which he would talk about his fears and feelings.

She told him to go to a counsellor and was there through the whole recovery process. Her presence and understanding helped him find a way out of the chaos both on and off the cricket field.

Virat Kohli's Inspiring Story: Impact on Mental Health Awareness

Kohli's openness on mental health issues has been huge in terms of affecting awareness, especially among people in India. His story was an inspiration to hundreds and thousands of people, especially sportsmen from underprivileged backgrounds, to come out and share their mental health challenges to seek help.

Kohli's advocacy on mental health, among others, opens the door for further advocacy for athletes or sports professionals suffering from poor mental health. It shines light on the stresses of being at the top and creates awareness to check on mental health issues before snowballing.

Powerful Quotes of Virat Kohli on Mental Health

In an interview with Mark Nicholas, Kohli shared a really powerful insight on mental health: 

"It's not easy to admit that you're not okay, but it's important to seek help and talk about it." 

It is another of those powerful messages that repeat the fact that one has to accept the challenge of mental health and seek help.

Another quote that is very touching by Kohli goes this way: 

"We are all human beings at the end of the day, and we can only take so much. It's okay to ask for help."

In the above quote, he mentions how a man needs to realize his limits; it is also about how much help can be taken.

Virat Kohli's Bio

Virat Kohli was born on the 5th day of November 1988 in Delhi, India. He stands among the most successful cricketers that history has ever known. He captains the Indian cricket team in every format and is an aggressive batsman. 

Among the many awards he received, he also won ICC Cricketer of the Year and Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna, to mention a few. In his glory, however, Kohli has sometimes struggled much with mental issues, most notably performance anxiety, a hurdle he famously fought back from.

Conclusion

The journey of Virat Kohli through various kinds of problems in the sphere of mental health, in particular, performance anxiety and depression, underlines the fact that even high-flyers have to take care of their mental health.

Kohli came out and shared his struggles; to that extent, he contributed to breaking this taboo associated with mental health problems and encouraging others to seek help.

It's an inspirational story of his, showing support and self-care to be very important in coming out on the other side of the experiences of challenges to mental health with strength.

Citations

1. Virat Kohli. (2021, February 18). Spotify.
2. E. (2023, November 6). When Virat Kohli battled depression. His coach recalls the toughest phase of the cricketer’s career. The Economic Times. 
3. Pti. (2021, February 19). “I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world”: Virat Kohli opens up about battling depression, stress. The Economic Times.
4. Sinha, A. (2022, January 17). Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli represent what a healthy relationship should look like. Vogue India. 
5. Pathak, A. (2024, March 12). Virat Kohli Extols Anushka Sharma’s Impact on His Life and Praises Her Resilience. Latest Cricket News, Articles, Reviews, Match Analysis. 
6. Lounge, C., & Lounge, C. (2024, August 17). 5 biggest secrets of Virat Kohli’s fitness journey. The Cricket Lounge.