Rahul Dravid feels even the best players struggle with confidence, says having a support structure helps

A few days before Robin Uthappa spoke about having had depression and suicidal thoughts, though not necessarily because of cricket, Rahul Dravid was part of a mental health discussion organised by Rajasthan Royals. One of the things he said should reassure anxious cricketers: “Even the best players who are successful and seen as role models have periods where they struggled with confidence.

“There were stages in my career where I lacked confidence, runs were not coming in as I had hoped they would. I felt there were doubts about my game,” said the legendary batsman, now the head of the National Cricket Academy (NCA).

What helped Dravid was having a support structure around, as sports psychologists were rare then. He was also a college graduate. This meant that while he became too good a player to need a day job, the degree was there during his developing years as a back-up and to take his mind off the game.


“I have never used that degree fortunately,” Dravid said with a laugh. “Having something else to do at that time and not just cricket was useful. I didn’t use a sports psychologist. If I look back at my career, there were periods of time when there were people around me.”

The right environment
Dravid felt sports psychologists have a big role to play now, as it’s very difficult for ex-players and coaches to understand the issues of present-day youngsters. To that end, the NCA organised interactions between mental health specialists and Under-19 players without BCCI contracts during the lockdown.

The India U-19 coach until not long ago, Dravid compared the dressing room to a pot of energy that had to be managed with a mix of firmness and sensitivity. “You are in charge of that pot of energy. Everything you say and do has a consequence on the team,” Dravid said. “At times, you will need to take from that pot. At times you will need to give. When you have a need, that energy is there to fall back on [for everyone]. It’s important to create that environment and energy that people can dip into whenever they need to.”

The most complicated period of time in Dravid’s career was before he played for India. “When you are doing something else and then you commit to cricket, you have to go through doubts and insecurities,” he said. “It can be unnerving for young players. That’s why it’s the age I like to work with, as they are going through the same insecurities of whether they will make it. I can identify with that as it is something I have experienced myself as a young cricketer.”