Kerala : M Suresh Kumar, Rahul Dravid’s under 19 teammate and former Kerala left-arm spinner was found hanging inside his house in Alappuzha on Friday evening (October 9). Popularly known as ‘Umri’, Suresh was just 47. His wife and son found him hanging in the bedroom when they returned to their house at Pazhaveedu at around 7:10 p.m, according to police.
Suresh, being an officer with Southern Railways, represented both Kerala and Railways in domestic cricket. He played 72 first-class matches from 1991 to 2005, taking 196 wickets, and he has 52 list-A wickets to his name from 51 games. He also has a first-class century to his name and he became the first Kerala player to represent India U-19 when he played under Rahul Dravid in a series against New Zealand in 1992.
To emphasize on the diversity of Indian cricket, Dravid talked about how Suresh,who knew only Malayalam, and a player from Uttar Pradesh, who only knew Hindi, combined for a 100-run partnership in the U-19 game against New Zealand. This video brought back many memories of that time.
Suresh’s death left everyone speechless as he was a bundle of joy and liveliness.
“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. Players of other Southern states used to say that the combination of these three was best in the zone” said former Kerala captain Sunil Oasis, who played many matches with Suresh.
“He didn’t believe in a lot of workouts. But whenever he stepped onto the field, he gave more than 100%. He was a casual person who approached his cricket the same wat. He just wanted to enjoy cricket. If he had been a little more professional, maybe he could have played for India”, said Feroze V Rasheed, a former teammate of Suresh with Kerala and Railways.
