Former Indian pacer David Johnson falls from balcony; dies at 52
Former Indian fast bowler David Johnson, 52, died after falling from a balcony in Bengaluru on Thursday morning, June 20. Karnataka’s right-arm fast bowler was born on October 16, 1971, in the Arasikere area.
David played for India in international cricket in the mid-1990s. He made his Test debut for India against Australia in October 1996 and appeared in two subsequent Tests. Johnson’s career high was bowling at 157.8 kmph during a Test match against Australia.
Also read: Ind vs SA Women’s ODI: Smriti, Harmanpreet notch up hundreds to post formidable total
The tragic incident occurred at SLV Paradise in Kanakashri Layout, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kottanur Police Station. It took occurred on Thursday, at 11:15 a.m. He allegedly jumped when family members were at home.
The Kottanur police arrived at the scene and transported the body to the hospital for post-mortem. It is suspected to be suicide, supposedly motivated by depression. Currently, the Kottanur police are collecting information.
David left his wife and two children behind. Johnson, who was running a cricket academy, had not been in good health recently.
Also read: SOG Federation Launches Ground breaking Online Skill Games and Esports Olympiad
David Johnson’s Biography
Johnson, known for his pace, was called up to the Indian team after some impressive domestic performances for Karnataka. In the 1995-96 Ranji Trophy season, he took 10-for-152 against Kerala.
In 1996, he played his first Test against Australia in Delhi. With Javagal Srinath injured, Johnson bowled alongside his Karnataka teammate Venkatesh Prasad. He then went on a tour of South Africa, appearing in the first Test. However, due to lack of control, he only played two Tests and took three wickets.
In first-class cricket, he took 125 wickets in 39 games for an average of 28.63 and a strike rate of 47.4. He was a lower-order batsman who scored a hundred runs in first-class cricket.
In 33 List A games, he took 41 wickets. He last played competitive cricket in the Karnataka Premier League in 2015.
Also read: Pakistan eliminated from T20 World Cup after Ireland-USA match ends in No result
Tributes pour in for David Johnson
Indian spin legend Anil Kumble, who also represented Karnataka took to ‘X’ to offer his tributes to Johnson on his demise.
“Saddened to hear the passing of my cricketing colleague David Johnson. Heartfelt condolences to his family. Gone too soon ” Benny”!” Anil Kumble tweeted.
