Shami friend reveals He was having suicidal
Although Mohammed Shami has never spoken it in as much detail as his friend Umesh Kumar, he has previously talked about thinking about ending his life by suicide.
Mohammed Shami has seen the utmost success in the sport of Indian cricket. In addition to pushing South Africa and England on their home ground, he was a member of the dominant Indian squad that won the Test series in Australia. He took the most wickets for India in the last three ODI World Cups, became the fastest Indian to reach 100 wickets in the format, and has the record for the most consecutive four-wicket hauls (three).
Like everyone else, Shami has had low points on and off the field. His frequent unwelcome trysts with injuries, his turbulent relationship with his ex-wife, being separated from his daughter, and, most upsetting of all, being accused of match-fixing by his divorced wife Hasin Jahan, among numerous other accusations.
After Jahan also reported Shami to the police for domestic abuse, the BCCI temporarily upheld Shami’s central contract. This was undoubtedly the lowest point of Shami’s career, one that drove him to consider suicide. Shami had already discussed the possibility of taking his own life in order to alleviate his suffering, but never as thoroughly as his friend Umesh Kumar.
Shami experienced a turbulent separation from his wife, Hasin Jahan, who filed a police complaint against him for domestic violence and accused him of match-fixing after allegedly receiving money from a Pakistani woman.
Though Shami was eventually exonerated from these allegations by the authorities, his friend Umesh Kumar revealed on Shubhankar Mishra’s podcast that Shami had considered suicide during that difficult period.
‘Shami Was Fighting With Everything’
Umesh on the podcast shared, “Shami was fighting with everything during that phase. He lived with me in my house. But when the fixing allegations with Pakistan broke, and led to a probe that night, he was shattered. He said that I can tolerate everything but not allegations of betraying my country.”
‘He Was Standing On The Balcony’
Shami’s friend added, “It also came in the news that he wanted to do something drastic that night [end his life]. It was around 4 AM in the morning when I got up to drink water. I was on my way to the kitchen when I saw that he was standing on the balcony.”
He recalled, “It was the 19th floor we were living in. I understood what happened. That night of Shami’s career, I feel, was the longest. Later, one day, when we were talking, he got a message on his phone saying he got a clean chit from the committee that was investigating the matter. He was probably happier that day than he would have been if he had won a World Cup.”
When Mohammed Shami Opened Up About His Struggle
In one of his earlier interviews, Shami opened up about his struggles during that phase. “It depends on what you prioritise more and then on the other person on how true his/her statements are. So when you know that the other person’s actions are invalid and not important to you, you should not leave your priorities,” said Shami.
He added, “If I had not been the Mohammed Shami, I am today, no one would have cared about my situation, and neither would the media be interested in it. Then why should I leave the thing that made me Shami. So you have to keep fighting.”
Shami and Jahan’s union, which began in 2014, brought joy with the birth of their daughter the following year. Nevertheless, the couple’s relationship deteriorated by 2018, when Jahan leveled accusations against Shami of infidelity, domestic violence, and mistreatment.
The situation escalated dramatically when Jahan claimed that Shami was involved in match-fixing, resulting in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspending his contract. Though he was later exonerated and his contract reinstated, the strain of these allegations deeply affected Shami’s mental health, with reports suggesting he even contemplated ending his own life during those dark moments.
Recently, Shami’s close friend Umesh Kumar made haunting revelations during a podcast with Indian YouTuber Shubhankar Mishra, shedding light on how close Shami came to despair. ‘Shami was grappling with a multitude of issues at that time. He stayed at my place, and when the allegations concerning match-fixing erupted, he was devastated. He told me he could bear anything but the thought of betraying his country,’ Kumar recalled.
Umesh recounted a particularly chilling moment, ‘I remember waking up in the early hours and spotting him on the balcony of our 19th-floor apartment. It was a moment that struck me with fear as I sensed just how fragile he was feeling that night. It felt like the longest night of Shami’s career.’
However, joy returned to Shami’s life when the news broke that he had been acquitted of all charges. Kumar noted, ‘I’ve never seen him so elated; that day felt like a World Cup victory for him.’
Such revelations not only highlight the pressure athletes face both in and out of the spotlight but also emphasize the importance of mental health awareness in the competitive world of sports.
