On November 2, India lifted the women’s cricket World Cup for the very first time — a historic achievement that will be celebrated for generations. A nation applauded not just a trophy, but the arrival of a new era in women’s sport: Confident, fearless, and world-beating.
Yet, for me, the defining moment of this campaign came not in the final, but days earlier on October 30, when India defeated reigning champions Australia in a dramatic, against-the-odds semi-final. That night, as the country celebrated, Jemimah Rodrigues did something rare: She spoke openly about her struggle with anxiety — and in doing so, lit up a different kind of victory.
After crediting her teammates and refusing to bask in personal milestones, she spoke quietly and in a matter-of-fact manner about her struggle with anxiety. No theatrics, no self-pity. Just candour.
In India, where strength is often equated with emotional silence, this mattered. Our sporting culture venerates resilience but rarely names the cost — the self-doubt, pressure, insomnia, and isolation that shadow ambition. Rodrigues’ honesty reframed the conversation: Vulnerability is not the opposite of strength; it is its foundation. High performance is not the absence of struggle — it is the ability to prevail despite it.
Her words reminded me of something my daughter, Devika — a Harvard-trained physician and mental-health advocate — has often said: “Stigma festers in the dark and scatters in the light.” She herself has excelled academically and professionally while navigating her own mental-health journey. I have seen how courage sometimes looks like simply showing up.
We urgently need that light. India is living through a mental-health crisis. One in seven Indians is affected. Urbanisation and nuclear families have weakened traditional support systems. Academic and economic stress has intensified. Social media amplifies comparison and anxiety. Yet, access to care remains scarce, with fewer than one psychiatrist per lakh population. Schools rarely have trained counsellors. Workplaces speak of wellness but hesitate to redesign systems to support it. Sports institutions invest in gyms before psychology departments.
In such an environment, silence carries a cost — measured not only in individual suffering but in productivity losses, lower labour participation, academic dropouts, and reduced performance. The World Economic Forum estimates that mental-health conditions could cost the global economy $6 trillion by 2030. India will bear a disproportionate share if we continue treating mental health as an afterthought.
The first step is acknowledgement. When young people see elite performers openly discuss mental health and still thrive, stigma weakens. When leaders — in sport, business, academia — model honesty instead of perfection, they create space for support systems to emerge.
Companies have embraced ESG conversations; mental-health support and psychological safety must now become part of that governance agenda. India’s demographic dividend, innovation ambition, and productivity aspirations rest on the shoulders of young Indians navigating unprecedented pressure. We owe them environments where mental resilience is nurtured, not assumed.
Rodrigues did more than win a match. She demonstrated a new template for leadership — one that blends excellence with authenticity. She reminded us that a healthy society and a competitive economy cannot be built on silent struggle.
If we want a high-performing workforce, resilient entrepreneurs, and world-class athletes, we must invest in mental wellbeing with the same seriousness that we reserve for physical performance, capital productivity, and digital infrastructure. No economy can unlock its potential when its young people are silently struggling.
On that evening, for a brief but important moment, Rodrigues held the torch. The rest of us must carry it forward.
The writer is former CEO, Ayushman Bharat
