Brad Hogg reveals how fight with a cab driver was the turning point in his life

Former Australian all rounder Brad Hogg has been pretty vocal and open about his battle against depression and suicidal thoughts that sprung up after his marriage failed in 2008 shortly after he had retired from international cricket.

Talking about the turbulent period in his life -- which resulted in him resorting to the bottle -- Hogg opened up about the incident that helped him overcome depression.

The episode revolves around an argument that Hogg had with an Indian origin cab driver over cricket.

READ | AB de Villiers’ retirement a blow to South Africa’s ICC World Cup bid - Ottis Gibson

“There was a period when I was really going out and enjoying myself. From 18 years to 25 to 30, I was on tour with Australia,” Hogg said on Australian radio show ‘Weekend Mornings with Jason Dasey’. “But then there were a couple of nights that I just got into a bit of trouble.

“I had a big night on the town one night. I went to my parents first because my car was there. I got out of the cab having an argument with the cabbie – he was an Indian cabbie – and the last five minutes we had an argument about cricket.

“Then I’ve gone inside and had an argument with mum and dad while my brother came out and sorted out the cabbie, it wasn’t anything physical or abusive, but just a disagreement on cricket. I even tried to ring him the next day because I was guilty,” the 47-year-old admitted.

READ | Injury scare for Wriddhiman Saha ahead of Afghanistan Test

“Then I got in my car and drove home and dad followed me. I went inside, brushed my teeth and looked at myself in the mirror and said “what the hell are you doing?”

“So I went into my office and wrote down everything that was important in my life. I reckon five days later I got a call for a job in Perth and my new wife just two weeks after. My whole life just turned around,” said Hogg, now a TV commentator.

Hogg, who has won two World Cup titles with Australia and was known for his comical personality in the dressing room, also shared the reason for the slump and how it forced him to retire from international cricket.

READ | Dropped from ODIs, Ajinkya Rahane to utilise time to prepare for England Tests

“There was that period when I retired from cricket. I didn’t really want to retire but I did it for the family. And after about three months of retiring, things just really started to fall apart on the family front and eventually my ex walked out and took the kids,” Hogg said.

“And all of a sudden I started thinking, ‘I’m losing everything I have set myself up for’. I had planned my life to move on from after cricket and then all of a sudden that was all taken away from me. I just felt that everything that I had earned had been taken away from me, which is a little bit selfish,” he added.