Carrying an ektara and breaking into traditional folk songs, 81-year-old Noor Baksh turned many heads outside the Holkar Stadium on Thursday morning. In 1971, he was part of the Bangladesh army in the liberation war. Now he travels to watch cricket.
Wearing a green sweatshirt with ‘Deadly Tigers’ written on the back, he started his journey from the T20I series. “I took the train from Dhaka to Kolkata, and then, from Howrah, I went to New Delhi, Rajkot and Nagpur. Travelling in trains help me cut costs as I live on a pension. Bangladesh cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim gets me match tickets,” he told Sportstar ahead of the first Test match.
Superfan Noor from Jhenaidah District (Khulna division) has been travelling for 15 years. “I have come to India once before. I have been to Sri Lanka too. I watch all Bangladesh matches for free, thank to Mushfiq [Rahim]. We know each other for many years. The cricketers used to see me at the stands. They call me 'chacha'. I visit their hotel to collect the tickets.”
“I don’t have a job now but the pension has been steady for 32 years. When I don’t watch cricket, I just eat, sleep and roam around happily.”
Noor believes Bangladesh can do well in the Test series if the batsmen can survive the Indian bowlers. “It is a five-day game. If they survive, they will do well. My favourite player, apart from Mushfiq, is Mahmudullah Riyadh. I want him to score a hundred,” he said.
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