5 Cricketers who contemplated suicide

Suicide is a major public health problem in the current day and age. According to the WHO reports, about 800,000 people commit suicide every year which is nearly one death every 40 seconds. There could be various reasons for people contemplating suicide. When things go slightly off the track, it tends to lead to acute depression which further triggers the thought of killing themselves.

Every single problem in this world has a solution. But suicide is never an answer to any predicament. Life is the most precious gift one can ever get and it is important to value it. Some of the cricketers whom we adore so much teach us some great life lessons. These sportsmen, who contemplated suicide at one stage of their life, decided to fight against the odds. They successfully did so and reached greater heights in their lives. They are all an inspiration to many now.

Here is a look at five cricketers who contemplated suicide:

1. Andre Nel

Andre Nel, during his playing days, was a massive force to reckon with. The former pacer troubled the batsmen with his speeds and never backed off from having a verbal volley. He represented his country in more than 100 games and has very good numbers to his name.

This open-chested brave pacer, however, tried to commit suicide in 2010. He was accused of having quite a few extra-marital affairs and thus his married life wasn’t on the right track. The former cricketer tried to take his own life at his residence close to Pretoria but managed to survive.

2. Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami, who was regarded to be a fine gentleman, came under the scanner in 2018. His wife, Hasin Jahan, accused him of domestic violence and extra-marital affairs. There was an extensive list of allegations on him and he was surrounded by all sorts of controversies back then.

At this point in time, Hasin also revealed that Shami tried to commit suicide much before they met. She said that the pacer was in a relationship with his paternal aunt’s sister-in-law’s daughter. Apparently, Shami tried to kill himself as he wanted to marry her but his family came in between and prevented him from doing so.

3. Suresh Raina

Suresh Raina is a jovial character and often tries to make everyone around him feel comfortable. But it might surprise you that even this batting all-rounder tried to commit suicide. During his growing-up days, Raina had faced a lot of troubles.

He was bullied and ragged during his hostel days which led to him contemplating suicide. It wasn’t just verbal bullying but he was also beaten with hockey sticks. This resulted in acute depression and the cricketer decided to quit hostel a year later.

4. S Sreesanth

S Sreesanth is one of the best exponents of swing bowling ever produced by India. However, he was accused of spot-fixing in the 2013 edition of the IPL. The cricketer was thus banned for life and he isn’t even allowed to enter a cricket field ever in his life.

During the reality show Bigg Boss 12, Sreesanth revealed the darkest phase of his life. He said that he even wanted to kill himself at that point in time. However, recently the Supreme Court of India decided to lift the life ban on him and asked the BCCI to reconsider the quantum of his punishment.

5. Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav is one of the premier spinners in India at the moment and represents the side across all the three formats. However, there was one stage of his life when he had thoughts of committing suicide. The chinaman, who was a pacer initially, switched to spin when he was about 13-years-old.

But he faced dejection when he was ignored for the U15 Uttar Pradesh side. Kuldeep said that he worked hard for his selection but couldn’t make the final cut. This led to severe frustration which resulted in him thinking of suicide. Yadav said that it happened due to the heat of the moment and mentioned that everyone goes through this kind of phase in their lives.

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