India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin’s humanitarian side came to the fore as he offered to buy N95 masks for people who cannot afford it as India battles a deadly second wave of COVID-19 pandemic. Ashwin tweeted to urge his followers to wear two masks but refrain from wearing cloth masks. When a Twitter user pointed out that an N95 mask might be unaffordable for many in the country, Ashwin offered to buy such masks and asked his followers to suggest ways of distributing masks among those in the need.

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 https://t.co/iGjTmVDXqs

— MASK UP INDIA ( NO CLOTH MASKS PLS) (@ashwinravi99) May 7, 2021

A single N95 mask starts from 70rs , A normal surgical mask costs 10rs which we can’t and shouldn’t use for more than 8 hours.

People who suffer to get food, people who have low income , how can they afford this?

Solution?

— @im_manoj (@im_mano12) May 7, 2021

Ashwin, who took a break form the now-postponed Indian Premier League to assist his family in recovering from COVID-19, was active on Twitter on Friday morning, urging people to maintain safe distance from another and get their vaccination done.

When another Twitter user pointed out that no vaccination centres were available in his area, Ashwin said: “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.”

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 https://t.co/38NlqEOHdQ

— MASK UP INDIA ( NO CLOTH MASKS PLS) (@ashwinravi99) May 7, 2021

Ashwin was part of Delhi Capitals at IPL 2021 but he had to exit the tournament’s bubble after several members of his family tested positive.

Later, Ashwin’s wife Prithi gave a glimpse into the family’s ordeal while herself battling the virus, describing COVID-19 as “most isolating disease.”

Prithi revealed that 10 people in her family had contracted the virus, including six adults and four children.

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The children were “the vehicles of transmission”, she said.

India reported more than 400,000 COVID-19 cases and nearly 4000 deaths according to health ministry data on Friday.