With the second COVID-19 wave rampant in India, Team India spinner R Ashwin has urged people to get vaccinated as well as use double masks to fight the pandemic. In fact, he is also willing to help with the distribution of N95 masks for those who cannot afford it. Taking to Twitter, Ashwin wrote: "I urge everyone going to get their vaccine shot to keep a safe distance from one another and double mask. (no cloth masks pls). The very point of getting a vaccine is to fight this deadly virus, let's not make that hopeful idea into a cluster. #COVID19India."

When a user wrote that he wasn't able to get an appointment for his second dose of vaccination, Ashwin wrote: "All I can say is please wait till it's made available for you. We are a country in excess of a billion people. Stay safe and careful till then." Another user pointed that N95 masks are expensive. To this, Ashwin wrote: "N 95 masks can be washed and reused. I am happy to buy and give it to people who can't afford it! Please let me know ways to distribute them if you or anyone on my timeline knows how."

In fact, the rise in COVID-19 cases saw the BCCI and IPL Governing Council postpone the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League on Tuesday. BCCI Secretary Jay Shah said that safety of each and every person involved with the league was the priority. Shah said that keeping an eye on the current COVID-19 situation, the BCCI and IPL Governing Council decided to postpone the league. "The BCCI and the IPL GC have unanimously decided to postpone the 2021 season till further notice. We don't wish to compromise the safety of the players, the people involved, the employees, the groundsmen, the match officials, every single person involved," he said.