I’m feeling light for sure: Virat Kohli about coming back after a break

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli talked about his comeback to the Indian team recently. The Indian batter is coming after taking a month’s break from international cricket. He was last seen on England tour and missed out on three white-ball tours for the country.

Virat Kohli said that he was feeling light after taking a break from professional cricket. In a candid interview with Star Sports, Kohli touched upon various subjects including mental health struggles.

“I am feeling light for sure. It wasn’t just about the workload of cricket, there were other things that were happening as well which contributed to me going into that space,” Kohli said.

Kohli also added that he has learned a lot from this time. He also understood that he was pushing himself into a competitive zone which wasn’t coming naturally to him.

“I learnt a lot in this time. I was looking at things from one lens, you play with passion, you play with a lot of heart, but the perception outside might not be the same and people might not understand the value of that as well,” he further added.

“I was pushing myself in competitive zone”

“I got a reality check at that time, that everyone does not think like you. I was pushing myself in that competitive zone but it wasn’t coming naturally to me,” the batter explained.

When asked about how he understood that he needed break, Kohli said that he had to push himself to do everything.

“I am someone like, let’s see what the day has for me and be part of everything that you do through the day with absolute intensity, presence and happiness. And that’s who I have always been. And people ask me a lot, ‘how do you do this on the field?’ and I just tell them that I love playing the game. I love the fact that I have so much to contribute with every ball and I give every inch of my energy on the field. And for me it never felt abnormal,” he explained.

“Even within the team they ask me, how do you keep up with it and I just say one simple thing – I want my team to win at any cost even if it means that I am gasping for breath when I walk off the field – so be it. That’s the kind of preparation I go through to play like that. And that was not happening naturally, and I had to push myself,” Kohli added.

Kohli also stressed about seeking help for mental health struggles.

“I understand that people are inspired by me, but you cannot stop being a human being because of that. People love you because you are yourself always and I am not shy to admit that I was feeling mentally down. It’s not abnormal, talk about it, discuss with people, no one’s gonna think you are weak. People are going to think that you are empowered and you will get help from sources that you did not even imagine,” he said.