Indian captain Virat Kohli came in support of Ben Stokes’ decision of taking a break from cricket to prioritize his mental health. Kohli, on Tuesday, has said it is important for athletes to take periodic breaks.
England all-rounder Ben Stokes broke the news of him taking an indefinite break from all cricket to keep his mental wellbeing in check. This will keep him out from the upcoming five-match Test series against India, which will start from Wednesday.
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Kohli admitted that bio-bubble life after the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic is not easy to cope with. He further mentioned that the three-week-long break was much-needed for Indian players that they got after the conclusion of the World Test Championship Final.
“Periodic breaks are important for the players. I’m sure more players will take breaks like Ben Stokes has, just to cope with this tough bubble life. I think this break in the past month came at the right time for me,” Virat Kohli said while addressing the press on the eve of the 1st Test in Nottingham.
Legendary Indian batsman Sunil Gavaskar also talked about Stokes’ decision and said it would be helpful for other cricketers if the England all-rounder described his problem.
“If Stokes could come out and say this is the reason, it will help a lot of younger players who would be undergoing the same situation, they would think it’s not just them, and that even a great player like Stokes is facing a situation like these,” said Gavaskar.
“When you just say mental health, it’s a general issue, so I hope somebody would be able to pinpoint the reason and that will certainly help the others.”
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Meanwhile, Kohli backs his team to do well against England in the Test series as they got enough time to prepare for it.
“Getting time to get used to the conditions is a bit of an advantage for us this time. Also, many of our players have experience playing here. I am confident one player or another can help the team in every situation,” Kohli added.
“We’re much better prepared than we have been in the past. But you can have all the experience in the world, it all comes down to performing in crunch situations.”
The first Test between England and India will start on Wednesday in Nottingham.
