‘Distressed’ Aryaman Birla takes indefinite break from cricket

MUMBAI: At last, an Indian player, clearly inspired by Australian star player Glenn Maxwell’s decision to take a break from international cricket after battling mental issues, has admitted publicly that he too faces a similar predicament.
Aryaman Birla, the son of the billionaire industrialist Kumar Mangalam Birla, the chairman of the Aditya Birla Group, has taken an “indefinite sabbatical from cricket”, citing “severe anxiety related to the sport for a while now”.
The 22-year-old Mumbaikar, who plays for Madhya Pradesh in the Ranji Trophy, has suffered quite a few injury setbacks and hasn’t played competitive cricket since January this year. A couple of seasons ago, the left-hander was picked up by the Rajasthan Royals, but he didn’t get any game time with them, and he was eventually released in November. He didn’t find any takers in Thursday’s IPL auction.
“I’ve felt trapped. I’ve pushed myself through all the distress so far, but now I feel the need to put my mental health and well-being above all else,” he wrote on Instagram. “We all have our own journeys and I want to take this time to understand myself better, open my mind to new and varied perspectives and seek purpose in my findings.”
He further wrote on Instagram: “This phase has been difficult, but it has also helped me realise who my real friends and well-wishers are. I truly believe I’ll emerge from this phase even stronger than before.”
Aryaman left his Mumbai when he was just 17, with the sole aim of furthering his cricketing career in Madhya Pradesh. After doing well in junior cricket there, he finally made his Ranji Trophy debut for MP in October 2017. He has played nine first-class games for them. In November 2018, he scored his maiden century in first-class cricket.