Sachin fan cycles to Bangladesh

A fan of Sachin Tendulkar has cycled to Bangladesh from the Indian border at Petrapole in North 24 Parganas district to watch the India-Bangladesh Test series.

Sudhir Kumar Gautam, who rode a cycle with the Indian tricolour and the Bangladesh national flag on the handle-bar, told reporters he had met Tendulkar in Mumbai in 2003 and is hopeful of meeting him again in this time Bangladesh.

"I will watch the Tests from May 18 to 22 and again from May 25 to 29," Gautam, who has a valid passport and travel documents, said.

A dairy worker from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, Gautam said he had earlier cycled to Jamshedpur from Muzaffarpur to watch the India-West Indies match at the Keenan stadium in 2002.

"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," said Gautam, who has shaved his head to resemble the map of India.

He said he also met Sourav Ganguly in Kolkata in 2004 and Virendra Sehwag in Delhi the following year.

"I have a personal rapport with them."

He also cycled from Muzaffarpur to Pakistan last January to watch India's cricket matches there.

Gautam, who was seen off at the border by cricket enthusiasts, said he had withdrawn the entire amount from his provident fund account to watch cricket matches since 2002.

"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, adding he's started collecting funds to go and watch the India- Australia series that coming up in four months.