Sachin Tendulkar Letter Rescues Die-hard Team India Fan in New Zealand

His batting was like magic for Team India. Now his pen is equally doing wonders. Ask Sudhir Gautam, one of India's most well-known cricket fans, whose body painted in the tricolour makes him stand out among millions of Tendulkar fans. In Auckland on Sunday, Sudhir was in dire straits with New Zealand Customs officials when a letter from the Little Master saved him.

Sudhir had his share of problems in Perth as well.

WACA authorities were not too happy about the length of the flagpole that the Bihar-born was carrying. He even had an extension that would fit into the two-metre pole to make it longer.

New Zealand have one of the toughest immigration rules in the world. Even Harbhajan Singh was not spared when the Kiwi officials found mud in his spikes. Stringent rules forbid 'entry' of fruits, eatables, liquid, dirt of mud that may contain organic substances. 'Colourful' Sudhir was carrying just one too many 'banned' substances.

Customs officials confiscated the bottles of colour that Sudhir was carrying. According to a report in the India Today website, Sudhir was asked to pay a hefty fine (approximately Rs 65000) for violating law. It was then that Sudhir, on his maiden trip Down Under, used his trump card - a letter from Sachin.

"I was shell-shocked. I pleaded with them that I did not have that much money," said Sudhir. "I told them that I am a fan of Team India who paints himself in the national colours and goes everywhere. The officials said they understood all that but rules were rules and they were meant to be followed. They told me that I had broken the law and I had to pay up?

"It was then that I showed them the letter that 'Sachin Sir' wrote to me. I show that letter to the embassies whenever I apply for a visa. It worked like magic. They looked at me again and said, 'okay, go ahead'. It was such a relief," said Sudhir.

For Sudhir, the World Cup has truly been a learning curve.