Puducherry: 19-Year-Old Aspiring Woman Cricketer Dies by Suicide After Failing Team Trials

A 19-year-old aspiring woman cricketer died by suicide in Puducherry after she was not selected for the state Women’s T20 team. The incident came after trials by the Cricket Association of Pondicherry, leaving the cricket community shocked and raising concerns over pressure on young athletes.

An aspiring woman cricketer in Puducherry died by suicide after she reportedly failed to make it to make the state women’s T20 team following recent selection trials. Cricket Association of Pondicherry (CAP) recently conducted the selection trials for the Women’s T20 team in April this year at the CAP Ground in Thutipet.

The Women’s T20 selection trials are for the upcoming domestic season, with players competing for a place in the Puducherry squad, which participates in BCCI-organised tournaments. However, only a limited number of players are selected from the large pool based on their performance in the trials.

Since the trials see participation from a large number of aspirants, competition for a place in the final squad remains intense. The players who were left out of the final squad often face disappointment, as selection opportunities at the domestic level remain limited and highly competitive.

Cricket Aspirant Dies After Selection Snub

The 19-year-old woman cricketer, identified as Angel Gangwani, reportedly took her own life after she missed out on the selection for the final Puducherry Women’s T20 squad. Angel, who is the daughter of the GST Superintendent Kashmir Kumar, had been training in Puducherry for the past two years while pursuing her studies.

According to the report by Times of India (TOI), Angel’s family has been living in Chennai for the past 12 years, and she had moved to Puducherry to pursue her studies and cricket training. An aspiring woman cricketer was in the second year of BBA at a private college in Velrampet and had been balancing her academics with cricket training in Puducherry.

The house owner, P. Durairaj, reportedly stated that Angel Gangwani recently participated in the Puducherry Women’s T20 selection trials in Thutipet, and her name was not included in the final squad for the upcoming domestic season.

Following her exclusion from Puducherry’s final Women’s T20 squad, Angel was reportedly dejected and withdrawn from her usual routine and interactions in the days after the trials, according to the statement by Durairaj, the 54-year-old house owner.

How the Incident Came to Light?

Durairaj, the house owner, approached the D. Nagar Police Station after he found her unresponsive in her room when she did not respond to repeated calls. In his complaint to the police, Angel returned to her room at 8 pm on Wednesday after her cricket practice.

The incident came to light when her coach Kathirvel attempted to contact her over the phone, but she didn’t pick up the phone. Given the lack of response, he went to her residence to check on her and, shockingly, found Angel hanging from the ceiling of her room, after which she was taken to a government hospital in Kathirkamam.

However, Angel Gangwani, who aspired to be a cricketer, was declared dead by doctors at the hospital, bringing a tragic end to her young sporting journey. The incident reportedly came as a shock to the local cricketing community and has once again brought attention to the pressures faced by young athletes at the domestic level.