Batting legend Sachin Tendulkar played international cricket for 24 years. In the meantime, throughout his career, he has gone through many ups and downs. He even thought of retiring after the 2007 World Cup when India made an exit from the tournament losing to Bangladesh. However, four years down the line, he was a part of the Indian team which lifted the World Cup. He finally retired from international cricket after playing 200 Test matches in 2013.
In a recent interaction with Unacademy, Sachin Tendulkar opened up on mental health and anxiety which played a pivotal role in his career. He revealed battling anxiety for 10-12 years during his international career.
Sachin Tendulkar On Battling Mental Health
“Over a period of time I realised that besides preparing physically for a game, you have to prepare yourself mentally also. In my mind, the match started long before I entered the ground. The anxiety levels were very high. I felt anxiety for 10-12 years, and had many sleepless nights before a game. Later on I started accepting that it was part of my preparation. Then I made peace with the times I was not able to sleep at night. I would start doing something to keep my mind comfortable.”Tendulkar said in an interaction organised by Unacademy.
Tendulkar further said that acceptance is the first step to battling mental issues.
“When there is an injury, physios and doctors examine you and diagnose what is wrong with you. Same is the case with mental health. It is normal for anyone to go through ups and downs and when you hit those lows you need people around. Acceptability is the key here. Not just for the player, for people around him also. Once you have accepted you start looking for solutions.”
The legendary batsman recalled how a Chennai hotel staff once came to his aid and helped him with a piece of advice, emphasising that an individual can learn from anyone.
“That person got me dosa in the room and after keeping it on the table, he offered advice. He pointed out that my elbow guard was restricting my bat swing, which was actually the case. He helped me address that issue,” he added.
Sachin Tendulkar recently contracted the COVID-19 virus in April. However, now he has recovered and back to full fitness.
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