Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary

Choudhary was born in a very poor family in a semi-rural place of Muzaffarpur, Bihar. He became obsessed with Indian Cricket and a fan of Tendulkar at the age of 6. He left his studies at the age of 14 when he was in his secondary school. He was unemployed, having previously worked for a milk company and trained as a teacher.{{cite web|url=http://www.cricages.com/others/a-die-hard-fan/|title=Sudhir Choudhary – A Die-Hard Sachin Fan|year=2011|work=cricages.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110825200834/http://www.cricages.com/others/a-die-hard-fan/|archive-date=25 August 2011|accessdate=22 August 2011}} He had reportedly postponed his marriage so that he could watch all the matches played by the Indian team,{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1540753.cms|title=Sachin is this fan's match ticket|date=31 January 2007|work=The Times of India|accessdate=18 February 2010}} wanting to follow the team wherever it played. This style of living followed by Chaudhary has made his parents unhappy.

He once threatened self-immolation if he was not assured of watching all cricket matches played by the Indian cricket team.{{cite news|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_a-fan-who-gifts-sachin-1000-litchis-every-year_1099369|title=A fan who gifts Sachin 1,000 litchis every year|date=27 May 2007|work=DNA|accessdate=15 February 2010}} He declared that his life was dedicated to watching Indian cricket matches and he lives his life on public support.

Chaudhary is a Hindu. He attended the Consecration of the Ram Mandir in January 2024.{{cite news |last1=Verma |first1=Nikhil |title=सचिन तेंदुलकर का जबरा फैन भी पहुंचा रामलला प्राण प्रतिष्ठा देखने, अयोध्या से शेयर की मनमोहक तस्वीरें |url=https://hindi.news18.com/photogallery/bihar/sachin-tendulkar-big-fan-also-reached-to-see-ram-lala-pran-pratistha-shared-beautiful-pictures-from-ayodhya-8006882.html |agency=News 18 |publisher=News 18 Hindi |date=22 January 2024}}

Since 2003, Chaudhary's passion has been to watch cricket matches played by India and to support the team. By April 2010, he had attended approximately 150 matches, often traveling by bicycle to reach the venue of match.{{cite news|last=Sugavanam|first=Saisudha|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/8636516.stm|title=India's most devoted cricket fan?|date=22 April 2010|work=BBC News|accessdate=23 April 2010}} He sometimes pedalled his cycle to cricket playing venues, as he did to Bangladesh to witness a cricket match in 2007 {{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070516/sports.htm|title=Sachin fan pedals to Bangladesh|date=15 May 2007|work=The Tribune|accessdate=15 February 2010}} and to Lahore, Pakistan in 2006.{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1540753.cms|title=Sachin is this fan's match ticket|date=31 January 2007|work=The Times of India|accessdate=18 February 2010}} To save money, he sometimes braved ticketless travel in trains to reach venues.{{Cite web|url=http://www.cricketcountry.com/cricket-articles/Sachin-Tendulkar-s-most-dedicated-fan-to-complete-a-decade-of-god-worship/32398|title=Sachin Tendulkar's most dedicated fan to complete a decade of 'god-worship'|date=20 October 2013}} When attending cricket matches, he paints his body with the tri-colour, the colours of India flag, and he usually paints the name of Tendulkar on his chest.{{cite news|last=Lokapally|first=Vijay|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/i-get-affection-from-sachin-and-match-tickets/article5340142.ece|title=I get affection from Sachin… and match tickets|date=12 November 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|accessdate=11 November 2013|location=Chennai, India}} He carries a conch with him and blows the conch to announce the arrival of the Indian cricket team. Chaudhary paints his body on the previous day of a match and skips sleep that night to preserve the paint on his body. He cycled for 21 days from Muzaffarpur, Bihar to Mumbai to watch Sachin play for India against Australia on 28 October 2003{{cite web|url=http://www.indianexpress.com/oldStory/34232/|title=Fans queue up outside Wankhede|last=Nayudu|first=Vinay|date=28 October 2003|work=The Indian Express|accessdate=15 February 2010}} and this was the first tri-series match where he started supporting India by waving Indian tri-colour.{{cite news|last=Laha|first=Somshuvra|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sachinretirement/sachin-s-fan-sudhir-just-likes-waving-the-flag-for-him/article1-1147647.aspx|title=Sachin's fan Sudhir just likes waving the flag for him|date=6 November 2013|newspaper=Hindustan Times|accessdate=13 November 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131109003701/http://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/sachinretirement/sachin-s-fan-sudhir-just-likes-waving-the-flag-for-him/article1-1147647.aspx|archive-date=9 November 2013}}

During the 2011 Cricket World Cup, Chaudhary sported a kooky crown on his head, a replica of the Cricket World Cup Trophy. Sudhir's crowning moment came on 2 April 2011, the day India defeated Sri Lanka in the final at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, to become the world champions. Tendulkar himself signaled him who was sitting among the cheering Indian fans, to come to the Indian dressing room and join the team's celebrations.{{cite news|last=Lokapally|first=Vijay|url=http://www.thehindu.com/sport/cricket/i-get-affection-from-sachin-and-match-tickets/article5340142.ece|title=I get affection from Sachin… and match tickets|date=12 November 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|accessdate=11 November 2013|location=Chennai, India}} Tendulkar asked Zaheer Khan to bring the World Cup trophy over. Tendulkar shook hands with Chaudhary, hugged him and finally let him lift the cup from Zaheer’s hands. Tendulkar allowed Chaudhary to hold the World Cup along with him and he celebrated the occasion by posing for photographs.{{cite web|last=Sharda|first=Ugra|title=Three tales from Indian cricket|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/657579.html|publisher=espn crick info 4 August 2013|accessdate=13 November 2013}}{{cite web|last=Chakravartty|first=Sougat |title=Sudhir Choudhrie: The ultimate devotee of Indian cricket|url=http://www.sportskeeda.com/2013/10/15/sudhir-kumar-chaudhary-the-ultimate-devotee-of-indian-cricket/ |publisher=sportskeeda.com|accessdate=17 November 2013}}{{cite web|last=Barton|first=Joe|title=Superfan readies for Sachin's last stand

|url=http://www.sportsfan.com.au/superfan-readies-for-sachins-last-stand/tabid/91/newsid/115970/default.aspx |publisher=sportsfan.com.au|accessdate=17 November 2013}}

• In March 2010, a Senior Police officer intercepted and thrashed Chaudhary in Kanpur, when he tried to shake hands with Tendulkar during a practice session. Later, after Tendulkar's intervention and request he was let off, and the police officer tendered an apology to him, repenting the event. He stopped the practice of scaling fences to reach the team to celebrate a win, only after Tendulkar advised against such practice. After this incident, the BCCI has sponsored him for every home match of the Indian team.{{citation needed|date=November 2013}}

• In 2015, during the India - Bangladesh series in Mirpur, he was attacked and harassed by Bangladesh fans booing against India, when he was trying to leave the stadium. He feared for his life but was eventually rescued by Bangladesh Police.{{cite web|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/story/_/id/20636480/indian-fan-given-security-cover-mirpur|title=Indian fan given security cover in Mirpur|last=Muthu|first=Alagappan|publisher=espn crick info|accessdate=24 June 2015}}

• In 2022, He was beaten up by police officers in Muzaffarpur when he went to the station to enquire about his brother's arrest. Coincidently, the station had invited him for its inauguration two years prior.{{cite news |title=Sachin's die-hard fan Sudhir Kumar "assaulted" in Bihar Police Station |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/off-the-field/sachins-die-hard-fan-sudhir-kumar-assaulted-in-bihar-police-station/articleshow/89045011.cms |agency=Times of India |publisher=TOI Sports |date=21 January 2022}}

Chaudhary is one of three principal roles of a documentary film Beyond All Boundaries which tells the stories of three different personalities of Indian cricket and he is shown as a super fan of the sport.{{cite news|last=Bhattacharya|first=Buddaditya|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/being-a-sport/article5222502.ece|title=Being a sport|date=11 October 2013|newspaper=The Hindu|accessdate=13 November 2013|location=Chennai, India}}{{Citation|title=Beyond All Boundaries|date=1 April 2013|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2428368/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl|accessdate=9 August 2015}} Made by film maker Sushrut Jain, the film shows details about the personal life of Sudhir Kumar.

• Cricket in India

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