"Felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world" -Virat Kohli on his battle with depression

Virat Kohli has revealed how he felt during his disastrous tour of England back in 2014. In 10 Test innings, the star Indian batsman could only muster 135 runs at an appalling average of 13.50.

For a player who was by then a crucial component of Team India, it was a bitter pill to swallow for Virat Kohli. The 32-year-old, who is usually determined, was unable to turn his form around in England.

Speaking to Mark Nicholas on his podcast "Not Just Cricket," the Indian skipper made some shocking revelations about what he went through during that ill-fated tour. Virat Kohli explained that he felt terribly alone and was clueless about overcoming his bad patch.

"It's not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won't be able to score runs and I think all batsmen have felt that at some stage that you are not in control of anything at all. You just don't understand how to get over it. That was a phase when I literally couldn't do anything to overturn things...I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world," Virat Kohli said.

Episode 1 of Not Just Cricket is out today 🏏 I’m in conversation with one of the world’s truly great batsmen @imVkohli who is candid about his own motivations & challenges, as well as the struggles many cricketers face with mental health. Listen now: https://t.co/x5TEiOwUGR pic.twitter.com/SpFVdRdPgQ

— Mark Nicholas (@mcjnicholas) February 18, 2021

From probably being the worst Indian batsman on that England tour to becoming their talisman in the following years, Virat Kohli's rise has been monumental. It speaks volumes about his mental strength.

Virat Kohli highlights the importance of seeking professional help to deal with mental health issues

Huddle talk ☑️@Paytm #INDvENG pic.twitter.com/QoUt0Z9X7O

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 16, 2021

Virat Kohli stressed that several people supported him during his rough patch. But still, he felt the need to talk to a professional as he couldn't quite explain how he was feeling to others.

"I won't say I didn't have people who I could speak to but not having a professional to speak to who could understand what I am going through completely, I think is a huge factor," Virat Kohli asserted.

There have been quite a few examples of players like Glenn Maxwell and Will Pucovski taking a sabbatical from the sport to deal with mental health issues. Virat Kohli believes these are grave problems which require professional help.

"Lot of people suffer with that feeling for longer periods of time, it carries on for months, it carries on for a whole cricket season, people are not able to get out of it. I strongly feel the need for professional help there to be very honest," he added.

Fantastic podcast by @mcjnicholas with @imVkohli on his childhood,mindset & his depression phase. Point which stands out for me was where he says his batting is 70% technical & 30 % mental contrary to the notion.https://t.co/NbaKbuRjIu

— 𝙰𝚜𝚖𝚒𝚝 (@imasmit) February 18, 2021

Despite failing to score an international century for over a year, Virat Kohli has notched up three fifties in his last three Tests.