(BBC) Indian cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar has tested positive for Covid-19.
Tendulkar – widely considered the greatest batsman of all time – said he had mild symptoms in a tweet yesterday.
“I’ve quarantined myself at home and am following all the necessary protocols as advised by my doctors,” he wrote.
The former India captain, 47, shared his diagnosis as the country grapples with a surge in coronavirus infections.
India recorded 59,118 new infections on Friday, the highest 24-hour rise so far this year. Many of the new cases were reported in the western state of Maharashtra, where Tendulkar lives in the city of Mumbai.
Since the pandemic began, India has confirmed more than 11.9 million infections and 161,000 deaths related to the disease.
The country launched its vaccination drive in mid-January, but highly contagious variants of the coronavirus have been linked to the recent spike in infections.
The surge in cases comes during what some experts have called a “delicate phase” of the pandemic for India.
States are now reintroducing restrictions to stem the spread of the virus.
In his tweet, Tendulkar said he had been “taking all the recommended precautions to ensure Covid is kept at bay”.
He thanked healthcare professionals and the “many others” who were supporting him across the country.
