Aryaman Birla, who was part of Rajasthan Royals till the last IPL season, has said that he is taking an indefinite break from cricket owing 'to severe anxiety related to the sport'. He added that he persevered to keep playing till now but the time has come to put his mental health above everything else. [News]
"I've felt trapped. I've pushed myself through all the distress so far, but now I feel the need to put my mental health and wellbeing above all else."
"And so, I've decided to take an undefined sabbatical from cricket. This lovely sport is an integral part of my life and I hope to be back on the field when the time is right."
Aryaman's sabbatical comes two months after Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell stepped away from cricket citing mental health issues. Since then, many cricketers have opened up about their struggles, taking time away from the game to deal with their issues.
Australia's Nic Maddinson and Will Pucovski had also announced breaks from international cricket to deal with their mental issues and got support from Cricket Australia.
This trend shows the other side of Cricket which media does not tell about. Professional competitive sports takes huge toll on the mental health of players. This is one reason why I am against professional sports and wish media and society should also think about its wrong side instead of just focusing on the positives and creating an illusion where sports and sportspersons are glamorized; all because sports is a big business.
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