"I wonder if any of us in India would ever dare to speak up" - Shreevats Goswami on mental health issues

Indian cricketer Shreevats Goswami took to social media to open up on the topic of mental health. His post came a day after Ben Stokes announced on July 30 that he would be taking an indefinite break from cricket due to mental health issues.

It came as a surprise to many as Stokes was playing in the ongoing The Hundred league. His announcement once again gave rise to debates around mental health issues in the sporting industry.

Shreevats Goswami did not shy away from sharing his views on the topic. He took a stand for Stokes and other athletes who've taken breaks for their mental well-being.

It's worth noting that modern-day athletes have a very hectic schedule. Also, given the ongoing COVID-19 situation, staying in bio-bubbles makes their lives even tougher. Consequently, it's not unusual for players to get drained after a point.

With Ben Stokes & other athletes/cricketers now taking breaks for #mentalhealth & their well-being (rightly so) I wonder if any of us in india would ever dare to speak up,kyuki “log kya kahenge”(how will people react).In fact this is still a taboo in 🇮🇳 to talk about it.
— Shreevats goswami (@shreevats1) July 31, 2021

Stokes isn't the first cricketer to take a break due to mental health issues. Over the past few months, there have been increasing instances of players pulling out of tours to take a break from their strict bio-bubble life. The players' respective sanctioning bodies have also respected their well-being and not raised any objections.

Shreevats Goswami feels mental health not taken seriously in India

Shreevats Goswami also gave his take on how such situations are not tackled appropriately in India, by saying:

"I wonder if any of us in india would ever dare to speak up, kyunki 'log kya kahenge (how will people react)'. In fact, it's still taboo to talk about it in India."

Omg,didn't see that coming.I remember my best friend @mukundabhinav speak about it. Recently @imVkohli spoke about this being something very real in covid times

Quarantining and bubble life isn't easy . I promise you. Looks easy because of the luxury , but the battle is within https://t.co/e3JxGlQ1vE
— DK (@DineshKarthik) July 30, 2021

Shreevats Goswami continued his thread in the comments section as well. He spoke about the various reasons why Indian athletes don't take breaks for mental health. Unawareness, competition, taboo, being perceived as weak, and trolling were some of the reasons he stated.

Shreevats Goswami is currently representing Bengal in domestic cricket and Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL. The left-handed batsman will look to do well in the second half of the IPL 2021, which is set to resume on September 19 in the UAE.