New Delhi: An ardent admirer of Sachin Tendulkar on Tuesday cycled from a small town in West Bengal, all the way to Bangladesh to see his hero in action in the Test series starting on Friday.
Sudhir Kumar Gautam had a flag each of India and Bangladesh strung to his handlebars, has a valid passport and all necessary travel documents.
"I will watch the Tests from May 18 to 22 and again from May 25 to 29," Gautam told PTI.
A resident of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Gautam has been following the Indian team's fortunes since 2002. He first rode on his cycle to Jamshedpur from his hometown to watch the West Indies play India.
"I had sought an appointment with Sachin there and the following year I reached Mumbai on my cycle in 18 days from Muzaffarpur to meet him," Gautam added.
This time, though, Gautam has also shaved his head resembling the Indian flag.
Gautam added that he met former India captain Sourav Ganguly in Kolkata in 2004, and Virender Sehwag in the Capital a year later. "I have a personal rapport with them," Gautam recalled.
But that's not all. India's unique cricket enthusiast has also taken his bicycle to Pakistan from Muzaffarpur last year to watch his team play, perhaps his longest journey so far.
Gautam revealed that he had withdrawn his entire provident funds to follow the Indian cricket team and watch all their matches.
"Like Abdul Jalil, known as 'Cricket Chacha' in Pakistan, I would like to be recognised as the 'Indian Cricket Brother' by the BCCI," he said.
Gautam now intends to watch the India-Australia series at home, when the four-time World Cup champions visit the country in four months' time.
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