'Imagine if we work together': Sprinter Yohan Blake wishes India well, urges people to stay safe during second Covid-19
The two-time Olympic gold medallist expressed his love for the country, cricket, and also urged everyone to do whatever they can to stay safe and battle the virus which has wreaked havoc in the country.
Ace Jamaican sprinter Yohan Blake on Tuesday took to Twitter to send his good wishes to India, which is currently engulfed in a wretched second wave of Covid 19.
The two-time Olympic gold medallist expressed his love for the country, cricket, and also urged everyone to do whatever they can to stay safe and battle the virus which has wreaked havoc in the country.
"Just want to take this time and send my love to India. I have been watching cricket over the years. I have grown to love the country so much. Wonderful people all around. I am begging everyone to please do what you can to stay safe. I know it will be difficult but imagine if we work together," Blake said in his Tweet.
The tweet comes at a time when the country's lucrative annual tournament, the Indian Premier League, has come under heavy scrutiny for carrying on despite the country battling a deadly second wave. Senior India off-spinner R. Ashwin and a few overseas players have already pulled out of the tournament, citing various personal reasons.
Several countries have already barred incoming flights from India, with Australia being one of them. While Rajasthan Royals' Andrew Tye returned to Australia due to fear of getting locked, his teammate and England player Liam Livingstone left the IPL 2021 bio-bubble due to bubble fatigue.
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On Monday, Royal Challengers Bangalore players Kane Richardson and Adam Zampa also left the team's bio-secure event to fly back to Australia. Zampa stated that he felt vulnerable in the bio-bubble in India, which was not the case during IPL 2020 in the UAE.
Indian Cricketers have also been called out for "turning a blind eye" to the grim reality outside the tournament. However, two Australian cricketers have stepped forward to help the country with funds for oxygen supply. Pat Cummins donated 50,000 USD and former pacer Brett Lee donated 1 BitCoin.
India on Tuesday registered 3,23,144 new coronavirus cases in a day, taking the total number of infections since the pandemic broke out in January 2020, to 1,76,36,307. While the single-day infection count is slightly less than Monday’s count, India registered more than 3 lakh cases for the sixth day in a row. With 2,771 deaths, the toll went up to 1,97,894.