Heartbroken Ashwin vows to help anyone 'within my capacity'

Saddened by the death and destruction caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, India's senior off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin on Friday said he will do whatever he can in his capacity to help those battling the unprecedented crisis.

‘Heart breaking to see what's happening around my country! I am not in the healthcare fraternity, but my sincere gratitude to each of them. I would also like to make an earnest appeal to every Indian to exercise caution and stay safe,’ Ashwin tweeted.

The 34-year-old cricketer, one of the country's all-time greatest spinners, is currently representing his franchise Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, which is being held in a bio-secure bubbles.

In another post, he wrote, ‘I know there will be people who will retort with a tweet about my position of privilege. I would like to reiterate that this is a virus that spares no one and I am in this fight with all of you. Let me know if I can help and I promise to help anyone that is within my capacity.’

Last week too, the wily off-spinner urged everyone to stay indoors and take necessary precautions amid the raging pandemic.

India added a record over 3.32 lakh new coronavirus cases in a single day taking the country's tally to 1,62,63,695, while active cases crossed the 24-lakh mark, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Friday.

The death toll increased to 1,86,920 with a record 2,263 new fatalities.

Registering a steady increase in active cases, the national COVID-19 recovery rate has dropped to 83.92 per cent.