New Delhi: Team India pacer Mohammed Shami admitted that he had considered claiming his own life when he was going through a terrible phase some years ago.
Shami had a bitter and acrimonious separation with his wife Hasin Jahan, who accused him of domestic violence in 2018. She had filed a petition in court, accusing Shami and his family of harassing her, and demanded Rs 7 lakh per month from Shami to maintain the family.
The 35-year-old pacer, who is currently out of the national team due to a recurring knee problem, opened up on his personal life during a recent episode of ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ with Rajat Sharma.
Shami said that even terrorists don’t face the number of allegations that have been levelled against him in the last seven years. However, he is happy that he didn’t take any extreme step, and went back to playing cricket.
The 35-year-old pacer, who is currently out of the national team due to a recurring knee problem, opened up on his personal life during a recent episode of ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ with Rajat Sharma.
“The thought came to my mind to end my life came,” Shami told Rajat (in Hindi) on the programme where the guest is put on ‘trial’ in a courtroom-style set.
“But then I thought this game, which gave me so much name, why should I jump (to death), forgetting all these. I thought of the love and affection I got. Then I decided, forget this and focus on my game. The thought (of suicide) came to my mind, but it did not happen, thank God, otherwise I’d have missed the (2019) World Cup,” Shami said.
Shami took 14 wickets in 4 matches in the 2019 ODI World Cup in England, including a hat-trick against Afghanistan and a 5-wicket haul versus England. He was dropped for the semifinal, which India lost to New Zealand.
The crafty fast bowler, who was turned into a villain on social media, said he is not scared about cyber-attack anymore as he knows there is nothing in his control that can be done about it.
“Bad things are spoken nowadays which do not exist. I am most scared of that. Yesterday, I was looking at a photograph, and I didn’t know when I had taken it. The number of allegations that have been levelled against me in the last six-seven years, maybe even a terrorist would not have been levelled so many allegations. I cannot do anything about this,” ANI quoted him as saying.
Injuries have dogged Shami, compounding his problems.
The Calcutta High Court earlier this year ordered Shami to pay his estranged wife and daughter a monthly alimony of Rs 4 lakh as maintenance. Jahan will have to be paid Rs 1.50 lakh per month, and the daughter will get Rs 2.50 lakh per month.
Shami had married Jahan, a former model, in 2014. The duo has a 10-year-old daughter.