Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary (Tendulkar’s Fan)

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary

• Sudhir was brought up in a very poor family in a semi-rural place of Muzaffarpur. He became obsessed with Indian cricket team and a fan of Sachin Tendulkar at the age of 6.

• Sudhir Kumar started his journey as Sachin Tendulkar’s fan in 2002 when he awestruck by Sachin’s inning against England.

• The very next year, in 2003, India was hosting New Zealand and Australia in a tri-series. For 3 weeks, Sudhir pulled his cycle as many as 1700 kms from Muzaffarpur (Bihar) to Mumbai. His sole objective was to meet Sachin Tendulkar.

• In a match against New Zealand at Cuttack, Odisha, India were in trouble so he ran on to the pitch to touch Sachin’s feet. Police captured him but Tendulkar told the police not to beat Sudhir, however, he was still thrown out of the stadium.

• Soon after that match, Sachin scored a century against Australia in Hyderabad. Sudhir could not control his emotions and ran to ground. “If I ran on to the field when India were doing badly, how could I not do so when Sachin Sir had scored a hundred,” said Sudhir in an interview with Wisden India . But this time, the police became merciless and Sudhir was battered and jailed.

• In earlier times, when Sudhir was penniless, he dared to be aboard the train without ticket sometimes.

• Each and every year, Sudhir goes to Mumbai to deliver 1000 litchis (a fruit which grows abundantly near his village in Muzaffarpur, Bihar) at Tendulkar’s house. Sachin, in turn, sponsors his tickets to all India matches.

• Sudhir has abandoned three different jobs to follow the Indian team around the world. He first quit a job at Sudha Dairy in Muzaffarpur as soon as he had enough money to obtain a passport and travel abroad with Team India. In 2004, he quit the job of Shiksha Mitra, but for that he had to undergo training in February and that would’ve coincided with India’s tour of Pakistan. So he quit the job and cycled all the way to Pakistan.

• When Pakistan hosted India, he stayed with Chacha, Pakistan cricket’s most famous fan, in Lahore.

• Ever since the IPL started, he has been backing Mumbai Indians because it is Sachin’s team.

• Sudhir carries a conch with him and blows the conch to announce the arrival of the Indian cricket team.

• Sudhir Chaudhary paints his body on the previous day of a match and avoid sleeping that night to preserve the paint on his body.

• In 2009, Sudhir was beaten up badly in Kanpur after he crossed a fence to get to where the Indian team was practicing. Sachin saved him from the Police but advised Sudhir against such attempts.

• Sudhir did not marry in order to watch all the matches played by the Indian cricket team, and wants to follow the team all over the world, wherever it plays.

• When India won the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Sudhir was called up by Sachin Tendulkar in dressing room to join celebration and to lift the World Cup Trophy.

• Earlier, Sudhir had ‘Tendulkar’ painted on his body when Sachin played matches. But ever since Sachin retired, he changed that to ‘Miss U Tendulkar.’

• New Zealand airport security confiscated his paintbox when he was travelling to Auckland for India’s match against Zimbabwe. Liquids were not allowed on the flight and he was fined Rs 65,000 for violating the law.