Kapil Dev brutally slammed for mocking 'pressure', 'depression' as American words

Today, the planet is celebrating World Mental Health Day with a motto to spread awareness about mental health issues globally and to mobilise efforts in support of mental health. Just ahead of this special occasion on Sunday, India’s World Cup-winning captain Kapil Dev stirred a controversy following his remarks regarding mental health.

While featuring in a conversation show named ‘Chat with Champions’, Dev mocked words like ‘pressure’ and ‘depression’ as ‘American words’ and stated that he could not understand these things.

Undoubtedly, when mental health has become a serious issue in recent times, the cricketer’s statement did not go down well with internet users. They went on to slam Dev for making such a casual remark on a serious issue.

Nailed it 👏🏽👏🏽 @therealkapildev pic.twitter.com/Wbs86nyEQh

— Aces Middle East (@Aces_sports) October 8, 2022

The topic came after the former all-rounder shared his view on the demand for competitive cricket in the modern era. He stated, “As I keep hearing on television, there appears to be a lot of pressure on players to take part in the IPL. Then I just have one instruction: stop playing. If a player is passionate, he will not feel pressure. I’m a farmer, and we play to have fun; there shouldn’t be any pressure when doing so.”

However, this was not the end of the matter. Dev continued by saying that nowadays, even students in classes 10 and 12 experience “pressure,” and he again stated that he had never seen any logic in this.

“You sit in air-conditioned classrooms with tuition funded by your parents, and teachers can’t even beat you, so where does this pressure come from? Ask me what the purpose of pressure is. Teachers used to beat us a lot. Students must transform this into enjoyment and fun; the phrase “pressure” is entirely inappropriate,” he added further.

As soon as the clip surfaced on the internet, people went outrageous. The comment section saw several reactions from users who found the approach wrong.

A user said, “Spoke like a typical Indian uncle.”

Spoke like a typical Indian uncle

— Vaibhav Manocha (@BeingMinchu) October 9, 2022

Another user asserted, “Nothing just an old guy making fun of mental health.”

Nothing just an old guy making fun of mental health

— Jatin Goyal (@JatinGo1920) October 8, 2022

An individual stated, “Somebody, stop him please.”

Why?
Somebody stop him please 🙄

— MatureKid 🎬🎥🎞️🎟️ (@Movie_istic) October 8, 2022

Here are some other notable reactions:

It is not just Kapil Dev who is wrong here. Those who clapped and laughed along are also at fault here.

— Venkata Krishna B (@venkatatweets) October 9, 2022

The generation gap clearly shows.

— maximus (@SirFincher) October 9, 2022

Jo bhi bolo depression is no joke. It's a real thing 👍🏻

— Shiva 🚩 (@lynched_hindu) October 9, 2022

Total nonsense. Plus pressure thing in IPL is from media and guests like you on TV. Never seen player saying I m under pressure. And you asking players to stop playing. Making fun of people effected by depression.

— raavinder malhi (@ramimalhi6) October 9, 2022

Previously, Dev had given his opinion on the “Spirit of Cricket” discussion after Deepti Sharma ran out Charlotte Dean, which caused a huge uproar in the English media.

“In a circumstance like this, I believe there should be a straightforward rule rather than lengthy discussions every time. Take away the batsmen’s run. It should be regarded as a short run. I think it’s a better option.” the India great had suggested.