Sachin Tendulkar donates Rs 50 lakh to fight COVID-19

New Delhi: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar on Friday donated Rs 50 lakh to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far claimed 17 Indian lives and wreaked havoc globally.

Tendulkar's donation along with BCCI president Sourav Ganguly's is so far the biggest contribution among India's leading sportspersons some of whom have pledged their salaries while a few others have donated medical equipment to fight the dreaded outbreak, which has caused more than 24,000 deaths globally.

"Sachin Tendulkar decided to contribute Rs 25 lakh each to Prime Minister's Relief Fund and Chief Minister's Relief Fund in his bid to join the fight against COVID-19," a source privy to the development, told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

Tendulkar has been associated with a lot of charity work and he has taken up umpteen social causes which have never been brought to public notice.

Among other prominent cricketers, Sourav Ganguly pledged to supply Rs 50 lakh worth rice to underprivileged lodged in government schools in Kolkata; cricketer-turned legislator Laxmi Ratan Shukla donated a month's salary and pension; the Pathan brothers -- Irfan and Yusuf -- donated 4000 face masks to Baroda police and health department while Mahendra Singh Dhoni, through a Pune-based NGO, made a contribution of Rs 1 lakh.

Among athletes from other disciplines, wrestler Bajrang Punia and sprinter Hima Das are some of the prominent names to have donated their salaries in the battle against the dreaded virus which has led to a 21-day national lockdown.