Over the past few years, many eminent personalities have opened up about their battle with mental health. And now, Sachin Tendulkar opened up about struggling with anxiety for a major part of his 24-year-old career before realising that his pre-game quirks were an important part of his preparation. The cricket legend added that for him, the match had started long before the game and this led to high-level anxiety.
He shared, "Over a period of time, I realised that besides preparing physically for a game, you have to prepare yourself mentally also. In my mind, the match started long before I entered the ground. The anxiety levels were very high."
Sachin Tendulkar further added that he felt anxiety for ten-twelve years and he had many sleeping nights before a game. "Later on I started accepting that it was part of my preparation. Then I made peace with the times I was not able to sleep at night. I would start doing something to keep my mind comfortable." The master blaster revealed that he would watch TV and play video games in the early hours of the day or even make a cup of tea to help him prepare for the game.
"Ironing my clothes also helped me prepare for the game. I would pack my bag the day before the game, my brother taught me all of it and it became a habit," he said. 'I followed the same drill even in the last match I played for India,' added Sachin. He further mentioned that a player is bound to go through ups and downs but it is important to accept when one is feeling low. "Acceptability is the key here," said the master blaster.
Image Source:Instagram/SachinTendulkar