Bangalore. A bad news has come for the Indian team in the midst of the ICC T20 World Cup. Former Indian fast bowler David Johnson, a colleague of Team India’s head coach Rahul Dravid, died after falling from the fourth floor balcony of his apartment. An official of the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) gave this information. Apart from India’s coach Anil Kumble, David has also played with Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh.
He was 52 years old and is survived by his wife and two children. Johnson was running a cricket academy near his house but was unwell for some time. “We were told that he fell from the fourth floor of his apartment. He was rushed to the hospital but doctors declared him dead,” a KSCA official told PTI.
Johnson played two Test matches for India. He played a total of 39 first class matches. He was part of the strong bowling unit of Karnataka which included Anil Kumble, Javagal Srinath, Venkatesh Prasad and Dodda Ganesh. Ganesh, a former Indian bowler and longtime teammate of Johnson, said, “This is very sad news because we used to play for the same club Jai Karnataka since the days of tennis cricket.”
He said, “After this we played together for the state and the country as well. This bowling attack of Karnataka has been giving the Indian bowling attack for a long time. In fact, at one time six players from Karnataka including Rahul Dravid were part of the Indian team. I don’t think any other state will have this achievement to its name.”
Saddened to hear the passing of my cricketing colleague David Johnson. Heartfelt condolences to his family. Gone too soon “Benny”!
— Anil Kumble (@anilkumble1074) June 20, 2024