Ex-India pacer Johnson dies after falling from 4th floor apartment, probe on

Former India pacer David Johnson died on Thursday after falling from the balcony of his fourthfloor apartment here and an investigation is in progress to figure out if it was a case of suicide the police has saidJohnson who played two Tests for India was 52 and is survived by his wife and two childrenIt is believed that 52yearold David Jude Johnson fell from his apartment in Kanaka Sri Layout in Kothanur A UDR unnatural death report has been filed at the Kothanur police station a statement from the state police readVery sad to hear about David Johnsonrsquos passing Condolences to his family Om Shanti pictwittercom5ycb1kI4z7mdash Virender Sehwag virendersehwag June 20 2024The body is taken for postmortem to the Ambedkar Medical College Hospital at Shampura main road it addedJohnson who was admitted to the St Philomenas Hospital last week after complaining of acute stomach pain was battling health issues for a while nowNone of his family members have raised any suspicion It was a selffall and there is no eyewitness to the incident Neither there was a suicide note the police said adding a probe was nonetheless being conductedA senior police official later also informed that Johnson had been visiting a deaddiction centre in the cityEarlier a Karnataka State Cricket Association KSCA official said Johnson was brought dead to a nearby hospital by the members of his family and friendsWe were informed that he had fallen from the fourth floor of his apartment building He was taken to a hospital but the doctors declared him brought dead the KSCA official told PTIJohnson who was known for his pace from a slightly slingy action took 125 FirstClass wickets and 41 List A scalps from 33 matchesHis finest effort in the domestic circuit was a 10 for 152 against Kerala in the Ranji Trophy and it brought him into national reckoningIn his prime Johnson who played two Tests and 39 FirstClass matches was the member of a formidable Karnataka bowling unit that also featured Anil Kumble Javagal Srinath Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda GaneshIt is shocking news as we had played together from our tennis cricket days for a club called Jai Karnataka Ganesh also a former India pacer and Johnsons longtime friend told PTIHe fondly recalled their time together on the fieldLater we played together for the state and the country That Karnataka bowling attack was the Indian bowling attack for a long timeIn fact six members from the state including Rahul Dravid were in the India squad at the same time I doubt any other state has managed that feat said GaneshLegendary legspinner Anil Kumble condoled his onetime teammates deathSaddened to hear of the passing of my cricketing colleague David Johnson Heartfelt condolences to his family Gone too soon Benny Kumble wrote on XAlso ReadExselector Banerjee backs Kohli as opener Raja Venkat disagreesBCCI secretary Jay Shah too extended his condolences to the bereaved familyDeepest condolences to family and friends of our former Indian fast bowler David Johnson His contributions to the game will always be remembered Shah wrote on XFormer India opener Gautam Gambhir who was recently interviewed for the post of India mens teams head coach also shared his emotionsSaddened by the passing away of David Johnson May god give strength to his family and loved ones Gambhir wrote on XWhile Johnson remained an affable person and cherished teammate his keen interest in horse racing as an owner and aficionado often landed him in financial turmoilJohnson had to find some odd jobs to make both ends meet and he also relocated to Chennai for better tidings at one pointAfter becoming into a recluse in the later part of his life Johnson was brought back to the cricketing circles courtesy the initiatives of former India player and KSCA secretary Brijesh PatelIn fact Patel had given him a chance to compete in the Karnataka Premier League now rebranded as the KSCA Maharaja Trophy T20 in 2009 for the Belagavi PanthersIt was Patels intervention that landed him a job as a BCCI match official for domestic matchesLater Patel also provided the pacer another chance to compete in the 2015 edition of the KPL his last year in competitive cricketHis international career was rather short ending after two Tests one each against Australia at Feroze Shah Kotla and South Africa at Durban and three wicketsBut those three wickets were of topclass batters Michael Slater Herschelle Gibbs and Brian MacMillanWith agency inputs