Published: Nov 08, 2014, 01:56 PM (IST)
Edited: Nov 08, 2014, 02:02 PM (IST)
Hyderabad: Nov 8, 2014
A year after Sachin Tendulkar bid goodbye to his cricketing career, the Sachin mania fails to die down, at least for this crazy fan Sudhir Kumar Gautam who said that the legendary batsman has promised him a World Cup trip in Australia early next year. Sudhir continues to travel with the Indian team and greeted the Men in Blue with his customary sound of the ‘shank’ and the flutter of the tri-colour as the players walked in for practice at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium on Saturday.
“I requested Sachin Sir for a World Cup trip this time around and he has promised me that I will go to Australia and New Zealand if all goes as per plan,” a beaming Sudhir told. “So what if Sachin Sir is not playing. I still think his invisible presence is guiding this team do well even after his retirement. I still have a ‘Miss U Tendulkar’ painted on my chest and will continue to do so till I have energy,” said the Muzaffarpur resident.
The 32-year-old cricket fanatic has not only given up three government jobs to follow his idol and the Indian team, but still takes pains to reach venues. He switched two trains from Ahmedabad to travel down here for the third One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka. “I don’t know what drives me but I just keep doing it. I don’t get tired, rather every trip is like a pilgrimage and the World Cup is what I am looking forward to right now,” he said.
Sudhir has watched Tendulkar in 241 ODIs, 42 Tests, 63 Indian Premier League (IPL) and Champions League T20 (CLT20) games and three Ranji matches, including at Lahli, since his adventure started in 2002 in the India-West Indies match at Jamshedpur in November 6. The Tendulkar fan, as he likes to be called, was also honoured by Bangladesh Cricket Board during his two-month long stay there for the Twenty20 World Cup last year.
