On Tuesday former captain and Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting supported the decision of the ‘Big Dogs’ of RCB team Glenn Maxwell to take an indefinite “mental and physical” health break from the game. After a string of low scores this season, the Australian player Maxwell himself asked to be rested from the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Monday night. He took a break of this nature from the sports in 2019.
Ponting has empathized with the Australian player Maxwell and stated him as one of the Big Dogs of team RCB along with Virat Kohli who has a lot of pressure in the team as a result of the match depending on both players’s performance.
He pointed out that every individual has his own coping mechanism as everyone is different here. Some players prefer to persevere and push through challenges to improve their game, while others may benefit from stepping back and taking a break to refresh themselves. This insight reflects the varying approaches players take to maintain their mental well-being and performance.
He also mentioned that every coach of the team needs to prioritize the mental well-being of the players. Therefore, a coach must be understanding and needs to take care of players’ health, mental health, and welfare first.
Balancing Success and Well-being
DC head coach Ponting believes loved ones are central to the players ‘success and failure, therefore it’s crucial to have their loved ones around them. Often players have to go away from their family and home City for the International sport which is certainly the biggest part of players as they are away from what makes them happy. Further, he added that he finds himself lucky because he has been living with his family for a few weeks, and spending time with them makes him happy.
On Monday, Maxwell stated that for him the decision to take a break was pretty easy. Performance was worsening and Feeling ineffective with the bat and considering the team’s standings, he deemed it appropriate to step aside, allowing another player a chance to prove themselves and potentially secure a permanent place in the team.
Australian player Glenn Maxwell scored 32 runs only in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s first six games and asked the management to not be part of Monday’s 25-run defeat by Sunrisers Hyderabad and took an indefinite break. However, he stated if he gets mentally and physically fine, he will be part of the tournament, if the opportunity is handed over to him. This incident shows that the mental health and well-being of players need to be considered the first priority of sports administration.
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