Virat Kohli’s manager Bunty Sajdeh on Thursday (18th August) revealed that the former Indian skipper has expressed disappointment over his mental health remarks being related to depression so loosely. 

Kohli has been out of form with the bat of late, as the 33-year-old is struggling to score runs as consistently as before and many have started to question him and his place in the Indian side. 

Recently, Kohli talked about mental health and said that there were times when he felt alone even in a room full of people. His comments were misconstrued by many who said that the former Indian skipper had suffered from depression. 

Kohli told The Indian Express, “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,”

Read Also: ‘Even in a room full of people, I felt alone’: Virat Kohli on the importance of mental health for athletes

Speaking to Times of India, Virat Kohli’s manager Bunty Sajdeh clarified that the right-hander has experienced mental challenges at certain stages in his career but not depression. 

“The representation of a severe condition like depression is very well understood by Virat. He's spoken openly on the mental challenges of playing the sport at the highest level and he hasn't shied away from admitting them. Having said that, he's mentioned that he's experienced mental challenges at only a certain stage in his career,” Bunty Sajdeh said. 

Bunty further lashed out at the people who used Kohli’s comments about mental health too loosely by equating it with depression.

“Virat for one will never feel alone when he's around people who love and support him. That's where he has got his mental strength from. Every top athlete has gone through mental challenges of dealing with pressures and expectations that come with the positions they are at. Depression is too big and significant a term to be used so loosely,” he said. 

Although Kohli is currently out of form but there’s no doubt about the ability of a player of his calibre. He’s currently training hard and will return to action during the Asia Cup 2022. 

(TOI inputs)