"You blame yourself a little bit" - Cameron Green on the emotional toll of his chronic kidney disease
Australian and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Cameron Green has revealed the emotional toll he has gone through due to his serious kidney condition. The 24-year-old disclosed that he has felt guilty on multiple occasions for holding the team back due to his health condition.
In December 2023, the seam-bowling all-rounder was reported to be suffering from a chronic kidney disease since his birth. During an interaction with Channel 7, the youngster said that his condition is in the second stage and underlined the need to look after it well to prevent it from progressing fast.
Speaking during a virtual interaction arranged by RCB, Green opened up on questioning himself on multiple occasions why this is happening to him.
"You get quite emotional because you kind of feel like it's all against you. Like, why is it happening now? No one else is being affected by this. You blame yourself a little bit, feel a bit guilty that maybe like (you are) keeping the team back a bit. At times it gets quite emotional," he said.
Since his international debut in 2020, Green has been earmarked as the future of the Australian team and has played some match-defining knocks in all three formats. Most recently, he struck 174 against New Zealand in Wellington to help Australia to a comprehensive Test win.
"It's sometimes challenging" - Cameron Green on maintaining his diet
With the youngster required to regulate his protein and salt intake, he reckons India has been a challenging place for it, given the limited options.
The right-hander added:
"It's sometimes challenging, especially in India. Sometimes, it's limited food options. With my condition, I've got to look after my salt and protein. I've got to keep that to a minimum around cricket. During (playing) cricket, I can slightly increase my salt volume because obviously, I needed to play cricket."
The West Australian is currently plying his trade for RCB in IPL 2024, having played for the Mumbai Indians in the previous edition.