KPL cricketer dies in an attempt to save brother from drowning

Ashwath with his coach Irfan Sait (Photo credits – Bangalore Mirror)

In a tragic turn of events, Ashwath, a cricketer from Karnataka passed away after drowning in a river in his hometown of Kodagu on Thursday.

The 28-year-old Ashwath had visited Kodagu to cast his vote in the Indian General Elections on Thursday. After casting his vote, he along with his brother, a few of his family memebers and friends decided to go for a drive. It was at the Chiklihole river that his older brother Akhil, a 31-year-old orthodontist from Bangalore opted to go for a swim.

When he saw Akhil struggling and close to drowning, Ashwath jumped into the waters in an attempt to save his brother. Sadly, he couldn’t save his brother and gave up his life as well in the process.

Ashwath’s coach Irfan Sait informed the media that he was reluctant to let the cricketer go to Kodagu last week. Speaking to Bangalore Mirror, Sait said: “I refused to let him go to Kodagu because we were playing a game on Friday, but he was hell-bent on casting his vote. He asked me not to worry and said, ‘trust me I will be back’, a regretful Sait told Bangalore Mirror.

Referred to by his coach as a thoughtful cricketer, Ashwath had recently penned a book with a foreword written by former Indian captain Rahul Dravid. He had worked on the book, which was scheduled for a launch on May 10 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai, for the past 18 month. The story of the book revolved around the travails of a cricketer who has to face a number of struggles through out his career.

Ashwath’s biggest moment in his career came when he participated in the Karnataka Premier League.