On Tuesday, Former Indian opener Robin Uthappa made a public statement about his past struggles with depression in an aim to remove the stigma attached to mental health and encourage others to come out and seek help when they need it.
In a post on social media, Robin Uthappa mentioned he struggled with this debilitating condition more than any other cricket field experience.
“I had so many fights on the ground but none worse than I had with depression. I am breaking the silence about mental health because I know that I am not alone.”- he wrote this while X has further talked about this issue in his most recent YouTube video.
Robin Uthappa, whose attacking batting style used to mesmerize fans during his prime years, acknowledged how being mentally unstable can be quite lonely.
“We are going to talk depression and suicide today. Also recently we heard of Graham Thorpe, David Johnson from India. VB Chandra Sekhar sir who was the rock of Chennai Super Kings (CSK). This is also something I have experienced. It’s not been fun at all. In fact, it’s been debilitating. You wouldn’t want them around anymore because you feel like you don’t belong . It’s tough. You think you aren’t good enough,” said 38-year-old.
“By 2011, I was so ashamed of who I became as a human being then… It’s completely fine when you do not know what your next strategy will be… Sometimes, what comes after is only keeping alive for one more day…. Many times there is no light at tunnel’s end.. The light lasts only until the next step,” noted he.
This admission by Robin Uthappa follows rising concerns about athletes’ mental health especially due to pressure surrounding their performances.
He specifically referred to cricketer suicides: Graham Thorpe, David Johnson, and VB Chandrasekhar (VB), while highlighting the damage that untreated mental health conditions can cause.
Uthappa had great success in white-ball cricket, including being a key figure in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup triumph. But inconsistency and selection setbacks characterized his international career.
The decision by Uthappa to share his story is an important milestone towards making conversations about mental health commonplace within sports and outside it. He offers them hope that they would come out of such situations stronger than ever before.
