Cricketer S. Sreesanth has revealed he had suicidal thoughts the BCCI had banned him for life in August 2013 for his alleged involvement in the spotfixing scandal that rocked the 2013 Indian Premier League.
“It is something I battled with incessantly in 2013. It was there everywhere I turned, the easy way out, but my family kept me sane. I had to stick around for my family. I knew they needed me,” Sreesanth, who was part of India’s 2011 ODI World Cup winning side, was quoted as saying.
Sreesanth, who was “good friends” with actor Sushant Singh Rajput, was deeply affected by the news of his death. “That’s why the news of Sushant Singh’s death affected me so much, besides the fact that he was a good friend. I was on that edge but I walked back because I knew how much it would hurt those who believe in me and love me.”
The cricketer also recalled how at one time he “couldn’t step out of the house and I didn’t let anyone step out of the house because I feared that I/ they would get kidnapped. I was in a deep depression at the time. I had all these thoughts in my room but I couldn’t leave my room without a smile on my face because my parents would not have been able to handle it.”
In 2018, the Kerala HC had struck down the life ban imposed on the cricketer by the BCCI and also quashed all proceedings against him. However, a division bench of the High Court restored the ban. Last year, the apex court upheld his guilt but asked the BCCI to reduce his quantum of punishment.