The World Cup 2023 has already begun with teams fighting their battle to take the trophy home. With physical strength in a game like cricket, it is also important to maintain mental well-being. To understand the role of mental health, we spoke to our expert Dr Satish Kumar CR, Consultant, Clinical Psychologist, Manipal Hospital Old Airport Road, who listed the cognitive and emotional aspects involved in this game.
Cognitive Aspects
Dr Kumar said, “Sports like cricket is a mind game as much as it is a physical game. Cognitive processes like quick decision-making and problem-solving abilities even under immense pressure; like our captain cool, who is said to give outstanding performances and is a finisher of the game even under stressful situations.”
Dr Kumar listed other cognitive aspects involved in cricket:
- It involves understanding the psychology of the players and which bowler to choose when a specific batter is in the crease.
- The bowler who fixes the batsman plays the next ball based on the last ball played, such as googli, straight balls, and slow or fast pace bowling.
- It involves understanding between the runners while batting. One knows who is in form and lets that batters play as much as possible by providing quick singles, thereby improving the partnership and not letting wickets fall.
- It's the same with the bowlers. When two pacers are bowling, one builds up pressure while the other picks up wickets. So, if you understand the game, it’s all mind work.
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Emotional Dimensions In Sports
Dr Kumar highlighted, “Experienced players always guide and support new players when they feel nervous, confused, and lost. Experienced sportsmen can better understand the game in different conditions and can act accordingly, which helps their team members feel supported and gain confidence.”
Dr Kumar said, “Emotions can take over the entire game many times. Senior players like Virat Kohli and his fans love his aggressive style of batting and his approach to the game. His aggressive style brings confidence to the team and the viewers, which can also dominate the opposite team players by making them feel less confident.”
He added, “Many cricket team opening batters have an aggressive approach towards the game. They start by dominating the entire game through their aggressive style of gameplay, which can make the bowlers feel confused and nervous.”
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Impact Of Mental Health
Meta-analytic reviews reveal that elite athletes exhibit similar prevalence rates of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and sleep disorders when compared to the general population.
Keeping all these and many more viewpoints in mind, we can say that sports is not just about skills and techniques. Dr Kumar said, “The performance of athletes is absolutely a mind game. Many players have discussed their out-of-form phase in which they were stressed due to various personal and professional reasons.”
Bottomline
Dr Kumar concluded, “Mental health is considered to be of utmost importance by the Sports Authority of India (SAI) as they have recruited many sports psychologists in the past decade. Many sports persons have discussed mental health and resilience being the priority along with the skills and techniques they learn to improve the game. Therefore, mental health should be assessed by a mental health professional in every sports person and given necessary support based on their needs. This helps them in overall performance and have a good balance of personal and professional life.”
[Disclaimer: The information in this article is shared by a registered healthcare professional and is for informational purposes only. Hence, we advise you to consult your expert if you are dealing with any mental health issues.]