India's top sporting stars including cricketer Rohit Sharma, wrestler Bajrang Punia along with Olympians Sakshi Malik and Dipa Karmakar are supporting #PlayforIndia initiative, which aims to help distressed people associated with sports whose livelihoods have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Besides Rohit and Yuvraj, other cricketers involved with the initiative are women's team opener Smriti Mandhana and Mayank Agarwal.
Ace wrestler Bajrang, tennis star Sania Mirza and Bollywood celebrities Abhishek Bachchan and Sunil Shetty are also part of the initiative.
According to a statement, #PlayforIndia initiative aims to bring together India's sporting community, fans and athletes and channel their efforts into giving back to people belonging to the often invisible support system without whom sports activities would not be possible.
"These include cleaners, gardeners, coaches, umpires, referees, caddies and other support staff who are not receiving a regular income due to the lack of work," it added.
Former India all-rounder Yuvraj emphasised on the important role played by these workers.
"The happiness that sports gives us is made possible only because of the efforts of many unknown, unrecognized figures who support India's sporting structures. The #PlayforIndia initiative aims to provide monetary and non-monetary support to the people who form the very backbone of sports in India," he said.
