There comes a shocking revelation by South Africa’s legendary Batter AB De Villiers! Prolific batter, AB De Villiers who is known for making & breaking records has faced anxiety issues during his playing days. He said that ahead of crucial fixtures he often faced anxiety issues. To deal with that he used to take sleeping tables from time to time to deal with stress. But at the same time, he warned young athletes to not make a habit otherwise it will turn into an addiction.
Just a few days back Australian batsman Steve Smith opened up about his struggles to sleep before crucial fixtures. In an Interview, the footballer Dele Alli admitted that consuming sleeping pills to deal with Anxiety issues became a problem for him. De Villiers discussed the above cases on his YouTube Channel. And while discussing them he opened up about his anxiety issues & struggle to sleep ahead of crucial fixtures.
I used to take sleeping tablets to deal with Anxiety, says AB De Villiers
Speaking about anxiety issues & sleep issues, AB De Villiers said that he had sleeping issues ahead of crucial fixtures. And sleeping pills helped him to fall asleep but later he developed a habit of consuming pills to get proper sleep. He also marked that it was only after consuming sleeping pills he could feel relaxed & have a good sleep.
AB De Villiers revealed that even before the 2015 World Cup match against West Indies he couldn’t sleep properly. Speaking about the incident he said that just one night before their 2015 World Cup fixture against West Indies he could sleep just for 2-3 hours. He further said that the anxiety increased so much that he had to call the doctor at 3 am & take an injection to fall asleep. He revealed that he had stomach cramps due to anxiety & stress as he was thinking about the fixture which was crucial for them to win.
De Villiers marked that during 2010-2011 his anxiety issues increased as his performances improved which increased management’s expectations of him. He further said that thoughts of performing well consistently used to give him anxiety. And he used to take sleeping tablets from time to time to deal with it. He warned that consuming sleeping pills becomes an addiction as after some time you can’t sleep without the pills. He said that he stabilized but not everyone could do that.
I made the mistake of not opening up about the issue with the Coaches- De Villiers
AB De Villiers accepted that he made a huge mistake of not speaking about his anxiety issues with coaches or the captain. And urged the young cricketers not to do the same & open up with their mental conditioning coach or captain if they face any such issue. And said that drinking a lot of water, having a good sleep & good food will help the athletes to perform well in their crucial fixtures & will keep anxiety away.
AB de Villiers announced his retirement back in 2018 by stating that he was tired & needs rest. The legendary batter has featured in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, and 78 T20Is from 2004 to 2018.
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