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When the Heart Stops Mid-Game – The Sudden Death of 25-Year-Old Rakesh in Hyderabad

  • Writer: Neha Kumari
    Neha Kumari
  • Aug 1
  • 4 min read

We always tend to think about youth as a cloak- it will help us beat the hardships of sickness and death. However, life is capable of disappointing us, at times tragically enough.


In Nagole region of Hyderabad, a 25-year-old boy, Rakesh died of a sudden cardiac arrest, as he was in the game of badminton. An athletic activity that is supposed to be fun, healthy and social became his dying scene. Nobody thought that the game will come to silence.


It is not only a tragic heart-breaking event, but it is also a wake-up call.


Rakesh was a young and energetic person in his 20s and was just having a normal game of badminton. It was to be still another evening.


He was said to be athletic and did not have health problems unlike most people in his age group.


However it was an eye opener as he fell on the court in the middle of the game. His friends came to the rescue but it was already too late so an ambulance was ordered.


Later, the doctors identified the cause; sudden cardiac arrest.


This is not the first and certainly not the last time that something like this happens, and unless we can start asking some hard questions this will continue to happen.


But He Was So Young... How did this happen?


Sudden cardiac arrest is no longer a condition that afflicts old people or people with known heart disease. And now, it is taking the lives of people in their 20s and 30s, even of people on the surface, who are not in their old age.


The question is why is this occurring?


Unrecognized Cardiovascular Problems – wronged cardiovascular problems are a few examples of heart problems that have no signs at all, until it is too late.


Other conditions such as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy or arrhythmias may not be diagnosed without frequent checks


  • High-Stress Lifestyle - High stress in life in the form of long working hours, sleep, emotional stress, abnormal eating habits - these are all heart killers when taken unabatedly.


  • Overworked Workout or Sports without check up - Many youngsters do pull their body in the gym or the field without knowing about the real condition of their heart. Overwork with unhealthy heart may prove to be hazardous.


  • Unhealthy Diet and physical inactivity – Due to wrong eating or unhealthy foods and less physical activity leads to accumulation of plaque in the arteries even when one is in their 20s.


  • Drug Usage – All those caffeine containing drinks, cigarettes and even steroids (to build up muscles) can cause long-term cardiac complications.


It is not Rakesh Alone This is not an Individual Incidence


Scroll back through the news over the last year and there are a good number of them:


  • In Maharashtra, a 19-year-old boy collapsed due to Garba.

  • A 27-year old gym instructor in Gujarat died after cardio exercise in a treadmill.

  • A 22-year-old Noida cricket player collapsed on the ground.


What is the common thing between them?


Youth. Activity. Sudden collapse. And an over all assumption that we are too young to care about the heart.


How can we prevent this?


We cannot do everything to avoid risk, but we can be more careful, more proactive. Here's how:


1. Heart Check-Ups


An ECG, test of cholesterol and a check of the blood pressure once a year may be a rescue of your life even when you are a young and fit individual. In case your family members have heart problems, screen early.


2. Be in Tune with What You Can Do


And stay away from the latest fitness fads. Make sure you warm-up, cool-down, and you do not push your body without having an idea of how your heart is.


3. Manage Stress


The heart will be directly affected by mental stress. Do breathing exercise, meditate, write in a diary, or talk to a person. Being cured is not being cowed--it is being smart.


4. Eat To Your Heart


Reduce the amount of fried and ultra-processed food. Add omega-3s, fruits and fiber. Hydrate. What is on your plate makes your pulse.


5. Do not smoke Tobacco, Cut down on alcohol.


However, each of your puffs and each of your binges breaks your heart a bit more than you may realize. Also, the damage is, instead, silent until it becomes irreversible.


6. Learn CPR


A sudden cardiac arrest is a situation where time is of the essence. CPR is essential in saving lives: a person who has suffered cardiac arrest may fall next to you, and proper CPR may save their life.


Final Thoughts:


Rakesh would not have died now Well, he should have walked home in his sweat and beaming well prepared to enjoy a meal with his friends.


Rather, he lost his life in one of the courts where he went to feel free.


His narrative is not the exception any longer, but it is rather a pattern. And unless we listen up, we will be wasting lives of brilliant young people to a disease we can detect, control, and most of the time prevent.


Let the story of Rakesh not be a headline.


May it be a cause to examine your own heart-may it be a cause to examine the hearts which are round about your own self.


📅 By News Anek Digital Desk | August 1, 2025





 
 
 

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