Virat Kohli: ‘There has to be a channel open for players to tell management, "I’m not feeling right in the head, I need a break’”

Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri (image taken from a BCCI video of a press conference on June 2, 2021)

The warrior tattoos on Virat Kohli’s left arm were prominent during his virtual press conference on June 2 before the Indian team’s departure to the UK. But even fighters need a break, the Indian captain said as he once again dwelt upon the importance of mental health, and the possibility of India having separate squads for different formats to prevent burnout.

While the Test team heads to the UK for the World Test Championship (WTC) final against New Zealand and a bilateral Test series against England, another Indian team will tour Sri Lanka for T20 and ODI games in July.

“The kind of structure (with bubbles and restrictions) we’re competing inside, for a long period of time, to be very honest, it’s very difficult,” Kohli said. “For players to stay motivated, doing the same stuff day in day out, dealing with pressure situations (is tough). So, this (separate teams) will definitely become a norm for the future where, apart from the workloads, the mental health side of things will also come into the picture.”

Kohli was speaking mainly about current times, where Covid rules shackle players and further impact their mental wellbeing.

Also read: Healing Space | The great Indian burn out

“You don’t have an outlet where you can go out for a meal or a coffee and say, ‘let me refresh myself, let me just get away from the game a little bit’,” Kohli said. “I think it’s a huge factor which should not be neglected. Because as much hard work we have done to create this team, you don’t want players falling out because of mental pressures. Or not having the capacity or the space to express themselves. So I think there always has to be that channel open, and which the team management has left open, for players to approach them and tell them, ‘Look, I’m not feeling right in the head, and I just need a little break and a disconnect from the game’.”

Indian coach Ravi Shastri, who was also present on the call, agreed with Kohli.

“When you have to play five Test matches in this environment, in six weeks, it’s no joke,” Shastri said. “Even the fittest will need a break. And more than the physical part, it’s the mental part, like Virat mentioned. You can be destroyed mentally, being asked to do the same things day in, day out, and then go and perform. It’s not easy to recover, especially if you’ve had a bad day. It’s important that you shuffle the guys around and keep them mentally fresh, because of the circumstances prevailing.”

The WTC final will start on June 18 in Southampton. Before that, New Zealand will play two Tests against England. India, however, will go into the contest without enough match practice. Kohli said that would not impede the team’s performance. India have been the world’s top Test side for some years now and didn’t always need lengthy rehearsals to deliver its lines when the curtain went up.

“In the past we have landed three days prior (to a game) and (still) had a hell of a series,” Kohli said. “I think it’s all in the head. It’s how you look at the situation currently. It’s not the first time we are playing in England. We all know what the conditions are like. And even if you know the conditions but don’t enter the field in the right frame of mind, you are going to nick that first ball or you are going to find it tough to pick wickets. We don’t have issues with heading into the game with just four practice sessions, because we are absolutely sure of what we can do as a team.”