A 19-year-old aspiring female cricketer died by suicide in Puducherry after she was devastated over her non-selection in a local T20 team trial, underscoring the mental health challenges faced by young athletes. 

The woman who took the extreme step has been identified as Angel Gangwani. She was a second year BBA student, and had been pursuing cricket training in the Union Territory for the past two years. 

Incident unfolds after selection heartbreak

As per reports, Angel had recently participated in selection trials for the Puducharry T20 cricket team in Thutipet, but failed to make it to the final list. Sources familiar with the incident said that she was deeply disheartened due to the outcome and gradually withdrew in the days that followed.

On Wednesday evening, she returned to her rented accommodation in Sokkanathanpet after practice. Later that night, when her coach attempted to reach out to her, she did not respond. Concerned by this, he visited her accommodation and found her unresponsive inside the room. Her coach, accompanied by her landlord, rushed her to a government medical college hospital in Kathirkamam, where she was pronounced dead upon arrival. 

Woman was the daughter of a GST superintendent

The police said Angel was the daughter of Kashmir Kumar, a Chennai-based GST Superintendent. She had been living independently in Puducherry while pursuing her studies at a private college in Velrampet, alongside her cricket training at a coaching centre situated in Thilaspet. The incident has sent shockwaves through the local sporting community, with many expressing sorrow over the loss of a determined and a young athlete. 

Mental health pressures in cricket come to the fore

The incident has brought the growing mental health concerns within the cricket fraternity into focus, particularly at the grassroots and domestic levels. Notably, young players often reel under intense competition, uncertain career pathways and limited opportunities, the integrated strain of which contributes to emotional turmoil. 

In recent years, prominent cricket icons like Ben Stokes and Glenn Maxwell have stepped away from the sport on a temporary basis to prioritise their mental health, helping to normalise conversations around mental health in the game.