'Felt like I was world's loneliest guy': Virat Kohli recalls period when he went through depression

"Yes, I did," was Virat Kohli's response when asked whether he had suffered from depression at the time in a conversation with former England first-class cricketer and a renowned commentator Nicholas on his 'Not Just Cricket' podcast.

Known to be one of the strongest personalities both on and off the field, India captain Virat Kohli revealed he went through depression during India's tour of England in 2014 where he felt he was the 'loneliest guy in the world'.

Indian captain Virat Kohli (Twitter)

Kohli had a disastrous tour of England in 2014, registering scores of 1, 8, 25, 0, 39, 28, 0,7, 6 and 20 in five Tests, averaging 13.50 in his 10 innings - his lowest in a series involving three or more Tests.

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"Yes, I did," was Kohli's response when asked whether he had suffered from depression at the time in a conversation with former England first-class cricketer and a renowned commentator Nicholas on his 'Not Just Cricket' podcast.

Kohli, who was given a nightmarish time by James Anderson during that tour, said he used to wake up with a feeling that he won't be able to score runs.

"...it's not a great feeling to wake up knowing that you won't be able to score runs and I think all batsmen have felt that at some stage that you are not in control of anything at all," he recalled.

He roared back to form in the tour of Australia after that, accumulating 692 runs in the Test series.

"You just don't understand how to get over it. That was a phase when I literally couldn't do anything to overturn things...I felt like I was the loneliest guy in the world," he said of the England tour.

Kohli remembered feeling alone despite the fact that there were supportive people in his life. He said professional help was what he needed.

"Personally, for me that was a revelation that you could feel that lonely even though you a part of a big group. I won't say I didn't have people who I could speak to but not having a professional to speak to who could understand what I am going through completely, I think is a huge factor.

"I think I would like to see it change." The India captain, considered one of the best batsmen in modern cricket, believes mental health issues cannot be overlooked as they can destroy a person's career.

"Someone whom you can go to at any stage, have a conversation around and say 'Listen this is what I am feeling, I am finding it hard to even go to sleep, I feel like I don't want to wake up in the morning. I have no confidence in myself, what do I do?'

"Lot of people suffer with that feeling for longer periods of time, it carries on for months, it carries on for a whole cricket season, people are not able to get out of it," Kohli said.

"I strongly feel the need for professional help there to be very honest," he added.

(With PTI inputs)