Players need to take care of themselves on and off the field, says Rahul Dravid on mental health issues

Mental health issues in the game of cricket are becoming something of a serious thing with various cricketers taking time off the game to get their well being in order. Cricket is a tough game with international cricketers spending a lot of time away from their families travelling all over the world playing either other teams or in T20 leagues which have mushroomed wildly.

Many key players in both men’s and women’s teams have taken time off from cricket and even called time on their international careers due to mental health issues. Marcus Trescothick, Jonathan Trott, Will Pucovski, Glenn Maxwell, Nic Maddinson and Sarah Taylor are just a few names who have been utterly impacted with the struggles of mental issues thanks to the pressure that comes with the game.

Players must maintain a balance in everything they do: Rahul Dravid

Former Indian captain Rahul Dravid in conversation with ESPNCricinfo.com talked on the issue of mental issues faced by cricketers in the modern era of the game. “It is a big challenge. This is a tough game. There is so much competition, a lot of pressure, and kids are playing all year round now. It is a game in which you do sometimes spend a lot of time waiting around, having a lot of time to think,” he was quoted as saying.

Indian skipper Virat Kohli had also lauded Glenn Maxwell for his openness with discussing his issues with keeping up with the pressure of playing international cricket. He also shared that he had his own struggles with coming to terms with failure after the 2014 England Test series. Speaking in the same vein, Rahul Dravid spoke that players needed to look after themselves both on and off the field.

“You really need to look after yourself on and off the field and look after stuff like mental health. That’s again something that, as much as we talk to these boys about, it’s really important to maintain a certain level of balance in everything you do. Be able to find that balance between not getting too excited when you succeed and not getting too disappointed when you fail. I just think being able to lead a slightly balanced life potentially helps,” Dravid further said.

Dravid also called for professionals to be hired to help out cricketers with dealing with such problems, as he felt that coaches and managers might not be well equipped to handle such situations. He mentioned how he is trying to bring in specialist help at NCA so that players can be fit mentally as well. “It’s one of the things we are definitely keen on doing at the NCA: giving some of these boys access to some level of professional help if they do require,” he said.

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