Revealed: The dark side of Sachin Tendulkar’s superfan

In this cricket-crazy nation, almost every Indian loves Sachin Tendulkar but few can love him more than Sudhir Kumar. With his body painted in the Indian tri-colours with Sachin Tendulkar’s name written and waving the Indian flag incessantly, the superfan is one of the most common sights in the stands when India plays. Hailing from Muzaffarpur, Sudhir has attended almost every game for India since 2003.

However, he had to pay a heavy price for his obsession with cricket and particularly Sachin Tendulkar. He is so much involved in the game that he has not contacted with his family in years. He has not spoken to his father in years. Sudhir always carries a power bank with him to keep his phone charged but he does not answer his sister’s phone calls. His sister calls him a lot, especially during Raksha Bandhan, but the superfan says that he doesn’t have time for family.

Not only his family life but his personal life has also been affected. At 34, he is still unmarried and has quit 3 different jobs to follow the Indian team around the world. He first quit a job at Sudha Dairy in Muzaffarpur. In 2004, he got a job at Shiksha Mitra and was required to undergo training in February but he left it to attend India’s tour of Pakistan.

The obsession has taken him very far from his family but the superfan is happy to spend his life with the way he loves.