Cricket in north-east is due to Sachin Tendulkar, says Bhaichung Bhutia

[rageaddict]

“Cricket in the north-east is no sport. People follow very little cricket,†said former India football captain Bhaichung Bhutia. But when the Little Master will be showered with rose petals and balloons at the Eden Gardens, a group of people in the north-east are also likely to watch his final steps. Why? “They are crazy about Sachin,†asserted the footballer who hails from that region. Bhutia, who is considered to be the torchbearer of Indian football in the international arena – much like Tendulkar is to cricket – added “it is only because of Sachin that people watch whatever cricket they do here. That just goes to show what Sachin is.†Much like the maestro, Bhutia’s career also took off when he was 16, when he quit his school in Sikkim to join East Bengal Club in Calcutta (now Kolkata) in 1993. Being only three years younger to Tendulkar, the footballer followed Tendulkar’s career right from his teens “I started watching cricket only due to Sachin,†he says. http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report-cricket-in-north-east-is-due-to-sachin-tendulkar-says-bhaichung-bhutia-1914809 Infact I just realized it yesterday when I received an SMS from one of my female friends from Nagaland ( Who is a massive IPL Fan ) about Sachin's farewell speech, who later on admitted that even she had tears in her eyes during the final moments of Sachin. And as we further reminisced about Sachin's incredible journey and his most memorable moments , I was surprised to realize that people so far away , probably in isolation and who are not even in the mainstream share exactly the same emotions as do the people from the mainland. It can be safely concluded that Sachin Tendulkar has the most diverse set of fans in the country and he is no one region's man. Greatest Unifying factor who has admirers in all parts of the country.