IPL 2016 winner Moises Henriques contemplated taking drugs during depression: Report

Dynamic Australian all-rounder Moises Henriques made his international debut in 2009. He has represented Australia in four Tests, 11 ODIs and 11 T20Is and has been part of his country’s domestic structure since 2006. Henriques recently opened up about his times in depression and anxiety, which prompted him to take a break from the game in 2017. While speaking on Neroli Meadows’ Ordineroli Speaking podcast, the cricketer revealed that he even contemplated taking drugs at the time to gain some relief from his clinical depression.  

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IPL 2016 winner Moises Henriques recollects his mental health issues

In the podcast, Moises Henriques revealed that he considered taking “different types of drugs” while simply lying in bed during his days of depression. He admitted that he felt helpless at times and had no idea whom to call for help. He said that during his worst days, he even struggled to sleep, eat or leave his house and constantly found himself playing games on the PlayStation. He also used to fear for his performances during nights before Australian matches.

Moises Henriques added that he later found peace by reading self-help books and resorting to therapy. He credits his wife Krista for supporting him and for giving him clarity and reason when he was extremely anxious/

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Mental health issues among Australia cricketers

Moises Henriques is not the only Australian cricketer to deal with mental health issues. In October 2019, Glenn Maxwell took an indefinite break from cricket over severe mental illness. Former Australian fast bowler Shaun Tait also took a break from the game in 2008 by citing that he was physically and emotionally exhausted.

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Moises Henriques in IPL

Moises Henriques has represented popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchises like Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). He played for SRH between IPL 2014 and IPL 2017 before shifting to KXIP for the 2019 season. Under the leadership of his Australian teammate David Warner, Henriques was part of the victorious SRH franchise in the 2016 edition of IPL.

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