Mental health-related sabbaticals to not be seen in negative way, feels Virat Kohli

Kohli believes that while it is not visible to the bare eye, every player at every level and age-group of sports can go through a period of “not feeling great mentally”. Due to the heavy competition across levels, every player tends to have a mental health decline.

"I am absolutely for it. To be very honest, you have a job to do, we have a job to do. And everyone's focused on what they need to do so it's very difficult for anyone to figure out what's going on in another person's mind," Kohli was quoted as saying Cricbuzz.

He recalled a time in his career when he felt the same too. 

"I've gone through a phase in my career where I've felt like it was the end of the world. In England 2014, I just didn't know what to do, what to say to anyone, how to speak, how to communicate. To be honest, I couldn't have said I am not feeling great mentally and I want to get away from the game, because you never know how that's taken,” the Indian skipper revealed.

To be able to come out and accept that the state of the mind is a huge thing believes Kohli and hence he has heavily lauded Glenn Maxwell for setting the right example. As a human being, he says, everyone deserves some time away from the game and that doesn’t mean the individual has stopped trying.

"When you get to the international stage, every player that's in the squad needs that sort of communication and that ability to just speak out. I think what Glenn has done is remarkable and it sets the right example for cricketers all over the world that if you're not in the best frame of mind, you try, you try, you try. But I think as human beings you reach a tipping point at some stage and you need some time away from the game,” Kohli added.