It was only yesterday that Robin Uthappa spoke his mind when it came to IPL auctions. He said that the format or basically an auction system is mentally harsh on players; adding that the BCCI can move onto drafts system which is at play in other franchise cricket around the world, mainly: PSL and BBL.
On Tuesday, he again took up the issue of mental health among the athletes who have to perform day in and day out under pressure. He also cited an example of Virat Kohli and said it can get really tough for a top athlete like the former India captain. He said he hopes Kohli found someone whom he can trust and tell-all.
“Especially with athletes, there is power in vulnerability. You deal with it by expressing it. You find that one person who you feel comfortable with, who you completely trust, and where you know there’s not going to be any judgement. If you feel someone is off, then you ask them ‘Hey, how are you? Do you want to talk about something?’ To have that much empathy as a human being to ask ‘Is everything fine?,” said Uthappa in a chat on the show Mind Over Medals.
“I really hope somebody is doing that with Virat Kohli, because it’s very hard for someone like him, the kind of thoughts that must be going through his mind. For someone of his calibre to not score a hundred for three years, the ghosts that he must be dealing with must be immense. I truly hope that there is someone who he trusts completely that he’s having conversations with. These are very lonely battles that sportspeople go through,” concluded Robin Uthappa.
Robin Uthappa was picked by the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side in the 2022 IPL auction for a sum of INR 2 Crore.