PM reaffirmed my belief that we can't let our guard down after April 14: Tendulkar

The iconic Sachin Tendulkar, on Friday, said managing the period after April 14 would be crucial to how India fares in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, a belief which was shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a video conference with sportspersons.

Tendulkar was among the 40-odd elite sportspersons with whom the had a one hour video call to discuss the prevailing situation which has claimed more than 50 lives in India with 2000 plus positive cases. The country is currently in a 21-day lockdown which ends on April 14.

"He (PM Modi) highlighted and reaffirmed my belief that we should not let our guard down after the 14th of April, & how we manage that period will be very critical," Tendulkar said in a statement after the interaction.

Like everyone else, Tendulkar is also practising social distancing and said he now folds his hands to say Namaste instead of shaking hands.

"I also suggested that as much as possible, I will use our way of greeting - saying Namaste instead of shaking hands, even after we overcome this pandemic," he said.

Modi also spoke about this being the time when elderly people, who are more vulnerable, should be taken care of.

"Taking care of our elders who are most vulnerable and using this time to hear from them, their stories and experiences was something the Prime Minister resonated with."

The mental aspect of a lockdown was also discussed.

"We also spoke about mental fitness being as important as physical fitness during this phase, and shared what I'm doing at home to keep fit. This is the time for our entire nation to come together and keep each other motivated. Like team spirit wins us games in sports, our nation should work as one team to overcome this," Tendulkar concluded.