Legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara accepted that pressure affected his performance and advocates more attention should be paid towards the mental health of players.

Lara, 50, stressed that sorting out mental health issues is the need of the hour. "On occasions, I lay in my room feeling the despair. It is real, it is part of all sport and it is coming to the fore now with a lot more aggression. Players are at least standing up and saying, 'I need to just remove myself, fight myself and come back again'. We should pay attention to it," Lara said at the inauguration of the second edition of Habitat for Humanity India charity golf tournament at the Willingdon Sports Club, Mahalaxmi on Friday.