Suhas Naidu: The man who quit his job to watch Karnataka play

Suhas Naidu's been an ardent fan of Karnataka — his state's cricket team. He has been following Karnataka for the last five years.

Suhas Naidu, an ardent fan of Karanataka, claims he's never missed watching the team play a four-day match during the last five years.

Ranji Trophy, often, may be played before empty stands across the country, but some noise is ensured when Karnataka plays. For, you could hear Suhas Naidu cheering loudly from the stands in Kannada. He has been following Karnataka for the last five years.

“I have never missed a match during the last five years,” he says, with one eye on the bowling of Abhimanyu Mathun, who gifted the Karnataka jersey he is wearing at the moment. “When I was studying at school, I used to watch only the Ranji matches played in Bengaluru, my hometown.”

He says he is not so keen about the shorter formats of cricket. “The longer version is the real cricket,” he says. “I love four-day cricket and my State of Karnataka. That is why I don’t mind spending so much money on travelling to see my team playing.”

Two years ago, he spent three days on the train to reach Guwahati for Karnataka’s match with Assam. “And I travelled in a general compartment,” says Suhas. “I am happy that I could go for all the matches my team plays, because I am looking after my family business. I had quit my job with a real estate company because they didn’t give me leave to watch cricket."