Cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar, one of the most popular athletes in India and around the world, has been admitted to hospital as a precautionary measure a week after testing positive for coronavirus.
Tendulkar, who initially quarantined at home for six days, said in a tweet on Friday that "as a matter of abundant precaution under medical advice, I have been hospitalized.”
The 47-year-old former India captain, who will turn 48 later this month, added that he was hoping to go home in a few days.
Tendulkar is one of the most high-profile cases of a new pandemic surge in India, where daily infections rose to more than 80,000 on Friday, the highest since October. His home state of Maharashtra accounted for more than 43,000 cases and 249 deaths, with the country's financial hub Mumbai reporting 8,646 of them – both a record for single-day infections.
Tendulkar tested positive for COVID-19 last Saturday and was quarantining at home with mild symptoms.
Tendulkar, one of the greatest batsmen of all time, is adored across India and many fans took to social media to wish him a speedy recovery. He is the highest run-scorer ever in test matches and one-day internationals and retired in 2013 after playing his 200th test match.
The former India skipper recently led an India Legends team to a win over Sri Lanka in a Twenty20 exhibition series earlier this week. Three other players who took part in the so-called Road Safety World series, including brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, have also tested positive for the virus in recent days.
