NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Johns Creek, GA, October 2, 2025: The community is mourning the sudden passing of Ashok Kumar Gera, a 35-year-old Salesforce executive who died unexpectedly while playing cricket at Shakerag Park in Johns Creek on September 13, 2025.
According to friends and fellow players, Gera collapsed on the field during a weekend match. Despite immediate efforts by teammates and first responders, he could not be revived. His untimely death has left the local cricket and tech communities in shock.
Gera is survived by his wife and a toddler child. A funeral service was held at the airport mortuary on September 17, where family, friends, and well-wishers gathered to pay their final respects. His body was later repatriated to India on Friday, September 19, so his extended family could perform last rites in his hometown.
Originally from India, Gera had built a successful career in technology. According to his LinkedIn profile, he earned a master’s degree from Western Illinois University and a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM) University in Visakhapatnam.
The tragedy has prompted an outpouring of grief on social media, with community members offering condolences and prayers for his young family.
In a heartbreaking coincidence, a similar tragedy occurred just a day later in Philadelphia. Srinath Madhala, an IT professional, collapsed while playing cricket on Sunday, September 14, and died of a cardiac arrest. He, too, leaves behind a wife and a two-year-old daughter. He was in the country on an H1B visa.
These incidents highlight a growing concern within the diaspora — the rising number of young, seemingly healthy men suffering sudden cardiac arrests during recreational sports. Doctors point to factors such as undiagnosed heart conditions, high stress, sedentary lifestyles, and lack of routine cardiac screening among South Asians as potential contributors.
