In a widely shared video, the legendary Indian skipper Kapil Dev claimed that the phrases “pressure” and “depression” are “American words.” However, fans were incensed because they believed that the former cricketer was insulting mental health.
The ultimate dream of every cricket player is to play at the highest level. All aspiring cricketers take great pride in representing their nation and donning the national uniform. But there is a cost involved. The margin of error for cricketers tends to narrow as interest in the sport rises daily, placing more pressure on them as players who are frequently targeted on social media. These also coincide with the ongoing requirement to maintain consistency due to internal team competitiveness and the increasingly harried cricket schedules. Consequently, players have frequently griped about the stress of competing at the highest level of cricket. Kapil Dev, a former captain of India, released a comment on the The same, but supporters were incensed because they thought the former cricketer was mocking mental illness.
Speaking at the “Chat with Champions” event, Kapil Dev acknowledged that he had no idea what the words “pressure” and “depression” meant, dismissing them as “American phrases,” and said that if players felt under pressure to participate in the IPL, they could simply choose not to. He continued by saying that nowadays, even students in classes 10 and 12 experience “pressure,” but he again conceded that he had never seen the rationale in this.
“There seems to be a lot of pressure on players to participate in the IPL, as I frequently hear on television. Then I just have one instruction: stop playing. If a player is passionate, pressure won’t exist. These American concepts, like despair, are beyond my comprehension. I’m a farmer, and we play the game because we like it; there shouldn’t be any pressure “explained Kapil.
“I went to a school where class 10 and 12 pupils informed him they are under a lot of strain. So also deal with pressure, I exclaimed. Teachers can’t physically harm you as you sit in air-conditioned rooms with tuition paid by your parents, so where does this pressure come from? Ask me what the purpose of pressure is. Teachers used to hit us and then inquire as to our whereabouts. Pressure is a terrible term; students need to turn this into enjoyment and fun, he added.
In his brilliant career, Kapil Dev played 131 Tests and 225 ODIs. In 1983, he also captained India to their maiden World Cup victory. He is still regarded as one of the best all-rounders the nation has ever produced and the first Indian to take more than 400 Test wickets. However, the legend performed before social media existed.