Will Pucovski says he’s in the right frame of mind to make his Test debut

Will Pucovski has spoken about his concussion and mental health battles while revealing he’s in a better place to finally to launch his Test career.

Will Pucovski is on the cusp of playing for Australia. Picture: Getty Images

Australian super bat Will Pucovski says his history of suffering serious concussions has affected his mental health.

The 22-year-old reaffirmed he is in the right headspace should a Test debut be handed to him in Adelaide next month, after scoring a mountain of Sheffield Shield runs to demand selected in Australia’s 17-man squad to tackle India.

Deleting Twitter and most social media over the past few months has also helped Pucovski fortify his mind from outside distractions.

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Pucovski says he’s proud of the work he’s put into better understanding his wellbeing over the past couple of years, and revealed part of his research has led him to believe head knocks on the sporting field may have contributed to some of his struggles in other areas.

“Yeah, to a degree I think a lot of medical advice has been suggesting that it can play a part in some other areas of your life,” Pucovski said.

“Obviously getting hit in the head a lot isn’t ideal from a physical or a mental perspective, so I guess to a degree it has had some effect on it.

“But I’ve done a lot of work in that space to try and make sure my processes were in a really good place and I’ve got a great support team around me.

“I’ve put a lot of work in on and off the field to make sure all my processes are in a really good space. It’s even great looking back just from a personal point of view, away from the Test side, seeing how far I’ve developed over the past couple of years just with the work I have been doing.

“To see those rewards is really good just from a personal point of view.”

Will Pucovski is on the cusp of playing for Australia. Picture: Getty Images

As a schoolboy footballer, Pucovski copped an accidental knee to the back of the head which resulted in him missing six months of school.

In first-class cricket, Pucovski has also suffered from multiple blows to the head while batting.

Pucovski told The Risk Equation podcast recently that he doesn’t believe he has a mental health issue as such – but more than his head has been through more than the average 22-year-old.

The knowledge of being told by medical experts that his concussions may have contributed to how he was feeling, has helped him in building to the point where he feels ready to be thrust into Test cricket for the first time.

“I don’t know if it was a realisation necessarily. More just listening to medical opinion,” he said.

“I think it always helps to add reason to something, or understand something a little bit better and that’s all it was about.

“It was understanding how the brain works and how multiple concussions can affect you.

“But I feel like I’ve bounced back from concussions really well in the past. I’m still able to perform at a level which I’m happy with and proud of and hopefully I can help whatever team I’m playing for to succeed through my performances.”

Pucovski says getting off social media has helped him deal with the hype around his performances since his back-to-back double hundreds.

“I am off a lot of social media, so that makes it a lot easier. You can’t get tagged in stuff on Twitter if you don’t have the app,” he said.

“ … It’s been in the last few months mainly. Just one of those things where I was spending a lot of time just scrolling through stuff, especially on Twitter.

“I’d been thinking about it for a while, just because (I was) wasting a lot of time scrolling through stuff when you can be enjoying time with your family and your friends. It was … more a lifestyle choice.

“ … That’s been a pretty easy one for me. I just go back to what’s in my control and what people are saying about me isn’t in my control.

“ … A the end of the day I’m the one going out there and trying to perform for the team. They’re the only things I’m worried about.”

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Originally published as Will Pucovski says he’s in the right frame of mind to make his Test debut