India captain Virat Kohli and wife Anushka Sharma had come forward last Friday (May 7) to announce a fundraising project to help the country fight the second wave of the deadly COVID-19. The couple had posted a 46-second video on their social media handles urging their millions of followers to donate generously. The duo donated Rs.2 Crore for the fund-raiser on Ketto.
Anushka and I have started a campaign on @ketto, to raise funds for Covid-19 relief, and we would be grateful for your support.
Let’s all come together and help those around us in need of our support.
I urge you all to join our movement.
Link in Bio! 🙏#InThisTogether pic.twitter.com/RjpbOP2i4G
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 7, 2021
“We are going through an unprecedented time in the history of our country and our nation needs all of us to unite and save as many people as possible. Anushka and I have been shocked to see the human suffering since last year,” Kohli said in the video.
“We have been working towards helping as many people as possible all through the pandemic and now, India wants our support more than ever,” he added.
Kohli and Anushka, who planned to raise Rs. 7 crore, managed to collect a whopping Rs. 11 crore in less than a week. MPL Sports Foundation, a part of the fantasy gaming company MPL, donated a massive Rs. 5 crore amount.
Thank you MPL Sports Foundation for your generous contribution of 5 crore in our fight against Covid-19. With your help we have now increased our target to 11 crore. Anushka & I are deeply grateful for your unconditional support. 🙏@PlayMPL#InThisTogether #ActNow
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) May 12, 2021
The funds collected in the campaign will be sent to ACT Grants, a movement to combat the deadly virus in the country.
Many cricketers have come forward to show their support towards India in these unfortunate times. Earlier, Australian pacer Pat Cummins had donated $50,000 to UNICEF Australia’s ‘India COVID-19 Crisis Appeal’. Brett Lee, Sachin Tendulkar and Shikhar Dhawan also contributed their parts to help the nation fight the deadly virus.
India is facing a second wave of coronavirus, which has led to thousands of people losing their lives. With the citizens struggling to get basic medical facilities, this initiative by the celebrity couple is laudable and will help the people get better facilities.