Tamil Nadu cricketer commits suicide

CHENNAI: A 21-year-old Tamil Nadu cricketer committed suicide by hanging at his house in Trustpuram, Kodambakkam on Sunday afternoon.
Police said PK Dharma, a BE Mechanical engineering student at a city College, played in the three-day first division final against Vijay CC which concluded at the Chidambaram Stadium on Saturday. He took one wicket in the game.
Dharma, who came home in the afternoon, locked himself in a room, as his family members were away to attend a funeral in Pozhichalur.
At around 1.30pm, his father Kumar (49), assistant branch manager of LIC's Thallakulam branch in Madurai, and his mother Kumidini, who too is an LIC branch manager at Nungambakkam here, tried reach him over phone but he failed to pick the call. The couple, on reaching home by 2.30pm found the door locked from inside. Kumar opened the door using a duplicate key, only to find his son hanging from the ceiling using a bed sheet inside the bedroom. They rushed him to a private hospital in Vadapalani, where he was declared brought dead.
Kodambakkam police registered a case and sent the body for autopsy to Government Royapettah Hospital.
A promising Tamil Nadu cricketer, Dharma's decision to take his life on Sunday came as a rude shock to the state's cricket circles where he is known as a feisty all-round cricketer with a bright future.
The 20-year-old medium-pace bowler played in two Vijay Hazare Trophy South Zone limited-overs tournament last year, and has been in contention for a regular place in the state team. "He was a promising youngster who turned out into a fine all-rounder," said former India all-rounder Sridharan Sriram, under whose captaincy Dharma turned out for the MRF-backed Globe Trotters in the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association first division league this season.
"We (team members) didn't know much about t his personal life, but this was an extreme step. It is a sad moment for us all," said Sriram.
Globe Trotters coach M Senthilnathan said Dharma was a player with a bright future. "I have seen his development over the past five-six years. In these days of the Indian Premier League and the opportunity that it offers to domestic cricketers, I was expecting Dharma to make a mark for himself," the former Tamil Nadu batsman said.
Dharma got an opportunity to make his Tamil Nadu limited-overs debut in the place of former Indian medium-pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji. "I was injured and he replaced me," said Balaji, who led Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy last season. "I haven't played alongside him but from whatever I have seen of him the boy had promise," said Balaji.
TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan expressed shocked at the incident. "He was an upcoming player, this is very unfortunate and a loss to TN cricket," Viswanathan said.