Have battled suicidal thoughts, depression: Robin Uthappa
New Delhi: Robin Uthappa, a key member of the 2007 World T20 winning Indian team, has revealed that he battled clinical depression and suicidal thoughts for nearly two years during his career, a phase when cricket was perhaps the only thing that kept him from “jumping off a balcony”. The big-hitting top-order batsman, who represented India in 46 ODIs and 13 T20 Internationals, was picked by Rajasthan Royals for Rs 3 crore for this year’s IPL, which is currently suspended because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I remember around 2009 to 2011, it was constant and I would deal with that on a daily basis. There were times where I wasn’t even thinking about cricket, it was probably the farthest thing in my mind,” he said during the Royal Rajasthan Foundation’s live session ‘Mind, Body and Soul’. “I was thinking about how I would survive this day and move on to the next, what’s happening to my life and in which direction am I heading. Cricket kept my mind off of these thoughts but it became really difficult on non-match days and during the off-season. (PTI)
Frankfurt beat Werder 3-0
Bremen: Stefan Ilsanker scored twice off the bench as Eintracht Frankfurt beat Werder Bremen 3-0 to damage the host’s hopes of escaping relegation from the Bundesliga. Andre Silva headed Eintracht into the lead in the 61st minute off a cross from Filip Kostic, before Ilsanker entered the game in the 81st and made an immediate impact. Seconds after coming on, the Austrian scored with his first touch, tapping in a deflected corner. He made it 3-0 in the 90th minute with a header from a free kick. That was the 20th goal Werder has conceded from a set piece in the Bundesliga this season, more than any other team. Ilsanker had not scored a league goal since 2015. (AP)
Subrata Paul moves to Hyderabad
Hyderabad: Subrata Paul became Hyderabad FCs latest acquisition after the club confirmed the signing of the experienced custodian on a two-year contract on Thursday.The 33-year-old made 15 appearances in goal for Jamshedpur FC in Indian Super League (ISL) 2019-20 and will be hoping to make an impact between the posts for Hyderabad FC in the upcoming season. “Hyderabad’s love and passion for football is folklore and I look forward to playing in front of these amazing supporters,” Subrata said after putting pen to paper for Hyderabad. (IANS)