Virat Kohli recalls period when he went through depression

Recognised as being one of the strongest characters both in and off the cricket field, Indias batting sensation Virat Kohli revealed that he underwent depression in the time of India's tour of England in 2014 where he felt he was the 'loneliest guy in the world'.

The Indian skipper had a terrible outing during 2014 England tour, scoring 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0,7, 6 and 20 in five Tests, averaging 13.50 in his 10 innings, his lowest in a series involving three or more Tests.

"Yes, I did," was Kohli's response when asked whether he had suffered from depression at the time in a conversation with former England cricketer Nicholas on his 'Not Just Cricket' podcast.

Virat Kohli, who was shown a horrific time by James Anderson in the time of that 2014 tour, said he used to wake up with a feeling that he well not be able to score runs.

"...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," Kohli said.

He found his hand in the tour of Australia after that, scoring 692 runs in the Test series.

"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," The Indian skipper said of the England tour.

Kohli called to mind feeling alone in spite of the fact that there were supportive people around him. He said professional help was what he needed.

"Personally, for me that was a revelation that you could feel that lonely even though you a part of a big group. 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.

"I think I would like to see it change." Kohli, believes mental health issues cannot be overlooked as they can destroy a person's career.

"Someone whom you can go to at any stage, have a conversation around and say 'Listen this is what I am feeling, I am finding it hard to even go to sleep, I feel like I don't want to wake up in the morning. I have no confidence in myself, what do I do?'

"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," he said.

"I strongly feel the need for professional help there to be very honest," Kohli added.

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