Every child who watches or plays cricket has a deep-seated, unquenchable desire to meet their cricketing hero at least once in their lives, no matter how fleeting the opportunity. Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary, an ardent cricket fan from Muzaffarpur, India, is at the other extreme of this spectrum.
If his name is unfamiliar, you would surely recognise him from live TV shows or from his attendance at Indian cricket events, where he usually shows up to encourage the team from the stands. He is well-known for his steadfast support of the Indian cricket team. He travels far, frequently depending on public money for international tours, realising and embodying a dream that is held dear by billions of Indians not just once, but repeatedly.
A collage of Sudhir has recently surfaced, following India’s victory in the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Americas. Chaudhary, who is well-known for painting his body with the Indian tricolour the night before games and skipping sleep to keep the paint fresh, took a picture of the real trophy in 2011 with the late Sachin Tendulkar. On that historic night in Mumbai, following their momentous moment that saw them secure the title after 28 long years, Tendulkar—who was playing his final World Cup for India—joined Chaudhary.
Also read: Greg Chappell wishes Rahul Dravid well on the T20 World Cup victory, saying, “I am particularly pleased for Rahul for being part of the victory.”
Thirteen years later, on a picturesque Barbados beach, over 13,000 kilometres away, Sudhir Kumar again clutched the trophy with a radiant smile, and was given the once-in-a-lifetime chance to take a picture with Indian captain Rohit Sharma, too—albeit not in his typical attire as previously mentioned.
Here’s the picture –
Rohit Sharma 🤝 Sachin Tendulkar. pic.twitter.com/936blJ43YV
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) July 1, 2024
Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary’s life hasn’t been typical or comfortable; instead, it’s been filled with hardships that highlight the importance of persistently pursuing one’s goals in the face of overwhelming obstacles. At the young age of six, he became a devoted fan of Tendulkar and acquired a strong interest for Indian cricket. He chose to stop studying when he was 14 years old and still in secondary school. After completing teacher training and working at a dairy company in the past, he was unemployed.
At one point, he made a threat to commit suicide if he did not have access to every Indian cricket team games. He’s said it all out loud: Indian cricket is his life, and he needs the public to help him continue doing this.
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