Former Kerala left-arm spinner, M Suresh Kumar, breathe his last this Friday (October 9) evening after taking to suicide inside his house in Alappuzha at the age of 47.
A report in Times of India states, "according to the police, Suresh's wife and son found him hanging in the bedroom when they returned to their house at Pazhaveedu at around 7:10 pm."
Suresh was an officer with Southern Railways and represented both Kerala and Railways in domestic cricket. He played first-class cricket from 1991 to 2005, taking 196 wickets in 72 matches and also had 52 List A scalps to his name. He was a capable lower-order batsman too.
Suresh was the first cricketer from the state of Kerala to represent India U-19 in 1992 when he played under former India captain and batting legend, Rahul Dravid.
Dravid had mentioned of Suresh during his famous 2011 Bradman Oration to emphasize how cultural adversity is a key feature of Indian cricket.
Suresh's former teammate had recalled how despite he only knowing how to speak Malyali and his partner from UP only understanding Hindi, they stitched together a 100-run stand against New Zealand.
The video of the same went viral earlier this year, warming the hearts of cricket followers.
Former Kerala captain Sunil Oasis, who played a lot with Suresh, was shocked to hear of his sudden passing.
"It's shocking news for me. Suresh was a natural cricketer who could do everything on a cricket field, though left-arm spin was his main trade. He was a handy batsman low down the order and a natural fielder of international quality. He had the ability to play for India," Oasis was quoted as saying by TOI.
Kerala had one of its most potent attack in the Ranji Trophy history when Suresh combined with KN Ananthapadmanabhan and B Ramprakash.
"Players of other southern states used to say that the combination of these three was best in the zone," said Oasis.
In a Ranji encounter with Tamil Nadu in 1995, Suresh pulled off his best performance with a match haul of 12 wickets in what became Kerala's first win over their neighbouring state.
A contemporary of Suresh, Sreekumar Nair said, "Suresh was a classical left-arm spinner and a natural talent. He was an ultimate team man and a happy-go-lucky guy. That's why I can't come to terms with the news. Don't know why he did it. It’s a terrible day for Kerala cricket."
"He did not believe in a lot of workouts. But whenever he stepped onto the field, he gave more than 100%," said Feroze V Rasheed, a former teammate of Suresh with Kerala and Railways.
"He was a casual person who approached his cricket the same way. He just wanted to enjoy cricket. If he had been a little bit more professional, maybe he could have played for India."
