'I felt alone': India cricket star Virat Kohli opens up about mental health struggle

Star India batsman Virat Kohli will play his 100th Test against Sri Lanka in Mohali on Friday. Getty

Virat Kohli, one of the greatest Test batsmen and captains the game has seen, will reach the landmark of 100 Tests when India take on Sri Lanka in Mohali from Friday. AP

Virat Kohli forged a long-standing partnership with MS Dhoni as player and leader. AP

Virat Kholi did not have the best of starts to Test cricket, enduring a horror tour of England during which he averaged less than 14 across five Tests. Getty

Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a century against Australia in the 2014 Melbourne Test. It was the series in which he established himself as an all-format batting behemoth. AFP

Virat Kohli scored four centuries during the 2014 Australia tour, one of the most significant moments of his Test career. AFP

Virat Kohli averages more than 50 in Tests in South Africa - a significant achievement against one of the best pace attacks of modern times. Getty

Virat Kholi has scored two tons and three fifties in seven Tests in South Africa. Reuters

Virat Kohli is India's most successful Test captain, having won 40 out of 68 Tests. AFP

Virat Kohli reached his peak during the 2018 series in England, scoring just under 600 runs in five Tests in extremely challenging conditions.AFP

Virat Kohli's cover drive remains of the best sights in cricket. AFP

England's veteran seamer James Anderson, right, got the better of Kohli home and away more often than not. AP

Virat Kohli kisses the Border-Gavaskar Trophy after India's 2-1 Test series victory over Australia in 2019, one of his finest moments as captain. EPA

Virat Kohli celebrates India's 2-1 series win in Australia in 2019. Reuters

Virat Kohli has never held back on the field and that has made him a must-watch on TV. AFP

Virat Kohli had dedicated cameras following his every move throughout his career. Getty

Virat Kohli celebrates after running out England's Joe Root. Reuters

Virat Kohli reserved his best for Australia, with the bat and in the field. AP

Virat Kohli celebrates the wicket of Australia batsman Marcus Harris, right. EPA

Virat Kohli put an emphasis on having a strong pace attack, and he found a superb fast bowler in Jasprit Bumrah. Reuters

Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli celebrate the wicket of Rory Burns of England during the 2021 Lord's Test. Getty

Mohammed Shami has been a critical part of Kohli's plans to form a lethal pace attack, both at home and away. AFP

Virat Kohli has handed over the captaincy reins to Rohit Sharma in all formats. Sportzpics for BCCI

Kohli has been a fan favourite for his batting and persona. AP

Virat Kohli's form has dipped in all formats of late. He last scored an international ton in November 2019. AFP

Virat Kohli has been getting starts but a century has eluded him for more than two years. Sportzpics for BCCI

Virat Kohli lost the 2021 World Test Championships final to Kane Williamson's New Zealand - effectively ending his hopes of winning a major trophy. Getty

Virat Kohli receives the ICC Test mace from former India captain Sunil Gavaskar in Dharamshala in 2017 - one of the highlights of his career and captaincy. Reuters

Virat Kohli has a huge fan following, with 280 million combined followers on social media. AFP

Virat Kohli is mainly responsible for putting Test cricket back at the forefront of international cricket. Gallo Images

KL Rahul is seen as the next all-format India captain. Reuters

Virat Kohli has scored seven Test double centuries. AP

Virat Kohli, right, supported Australia's Steve Smith following his return from 'Sandpapergate'. AP

Kohli transformed India into a formidable outfit in all formats home and away. AFP

Virat Kohli secured a 2-1 series lead in England in 2021, with the final match of that suspended series to be completed this year. Getty

Virat Kohli will look to regain his form as a batsman without the burden of captaincy. PA

Virat Kohli lost just two out of 31 Tests at home as captain. AP

Ravi Shastri formed a successful partnership as coach with Virat Kohli. Reuters

Virat Kohli alongside former India coach Duncan Fletcher. AFP

Virat Kohli had a difficult relation with the then India coach Anil Kumble. AFP

Kohli played with Rahul Dravid, who is now the coach of the Indian team. Getty

Virat Kohli with coach Rahul Dravid at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai last year. AFP

Virat Kohli is one of the finest fielders in Indian cricket. Reuters

Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma come from a strong group of Delhi cricketers who played for India together - including Virender Sehwag, Guatam Gambhir and Ashish Nehra. Reuters

England's James Anderson argues with Virat Kohli at Lord's in 2021. Reuters

Kohli has unfortunately not played a single Test against Pakistan. AFP

Virat Kohli celebrates after scoring a double century against South Africa in Pune on October 11, 2019. AFP

Virat Kohli has worked hard to overcome his weakness outside the off stump. AFP

Virat Kohli announced on January 15, 2022, he was stepping down as Test captain, a day after his side lost a three-match series to South Africa. AFP

Virat Kohli with his former captain MS Dhoni, left, current skipper Rohit Sharma, right, and possible future leader KL Rahul. AFP

Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli, who took his team to unprecedented heights, says he has struggled with his mental health throughout his career, local media reported Thursday.

The 33-year-old ex-captain built a reputation for in-your-face aggression and exemplary batting, leading his team to the top of the Test rankings.

But the man dubbed "King" Kohli by Indian media has been plagued by a run of poor form and has been relieved of his captaincy of all formats since late last year after a dismal showing at the Twenty20 World Cup.

Kohli told The Indian Express newspaper that the pressure of his career had at times had a negative impact on his mental health.

"I personally have experienced times when even in a room full of people who support and love me, I felt alone, and I am sure that this is a feeling that a lot of people can relate to," he said in an interview published Wednesday.

"It is definitely a serious issue and as much as we try to be strong at all times, it can tear you apart."

Kohli said it was important for athletes to rest and recover from the pressures of sport and reconnect with their "core self".

"If you lose that connection, it wouldn't take very long for other things to crumble around you."

His comments came just months after he revealed he had struggled with depression after failing to score runs during an England tour in 2014.

"It's not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won't be able to score runs ... I felt I was the loneliest guy in the world," he said on a podcast with English commentator Mark Nicholas in February.

Kohli, one of the world's highest-paid athletes, has not scored a century in any format since 2019.

After being rested for the recent West Indies tour, he has now been named in India's T20 squad for the Asia Cup in the UAE that starts with a match against arch-rivals Pakistan.