Sachin Tendulkar teams up with Muttiah Muralitharan to launch initiative for children's sanitation

Tendulkar and Muralitharan interact with reporters after launching the ‘Wash in School’ initiative in Sri Lanka

Indian batting legend Sachin Tendulkar teamed up with Sri Lankan spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan to launch an initiative by the UNICEF titled ‘Wash in School’ aimed at improving the state of sanitation and hygiene in the latter’s home country Sri Lanka, The Hindu reports.

UNICEF, the wing of the United Nations that advocates the protection of children’s rights, have listed ‘Water & Sanitation’ as their focus areas for Sri Lanka as the Asian country has been struggling to ensure continued access to good quality drinking water & proper sanitation services, especially in schools.

In an effort to ensure that the effort being put in find greater acceptance from the children in what is one of the major cricket playing nations in the world, UNICEF roped in two absolute legends of the game – Tendulkar, who holds the record for most number of runs in the Test and ODI format & Sri Lanka’s very own Muralitharan, who leads the wicket-takers in both Tests and ODI – to spread the message.

The two have faced each other on a number of occasions throughout their playing career but the most recent meeting, as Tendulkar himself put it, was “to play a different match, a match against all diseases caused by diarrhoea.”

Sachin, who has been serving as UNICEF’s goodwill ambassador for South Asia since 2013, further added that “entire Sri Lanka is going to be involved in the match.”

Am teaming up with Murali to dismiss diseases in #SriLanka! Join us to promote good #hygiene and #sanitation! #WASH pic.twitter.com/w8AfQHqn5Z

— sachin tendulkar (@sachin_rt) October 12, 2015

The astonishing statistic that 17% of schools and 14% of households in Sri Lanka do not have proper sanitation facilities alarmed the duo with Tendulkar urging the local celebrities to pitch in and help improve the state of affairs.

Murali called for the setting up of more public toilets in cities and tea plantations and opined that the rural areas in Sri Lanka were better placed than urban centres with regard to the provision of toilets.

According to DNAIndia, Tendulkar showed some local children how to use soap and water to wash their hands before meals and avoid the risk of disease and left a message for the older generation to ensure that hygienic practices are inculcated in the children from a very young age.

My mother nvr allowed me to eat b4 washing hands! V must ensure all children learn such habits @sachin_rt #WASH #lka pic.twitter.com/yQGE6EU2Tw

— UNICEF Sri Lanka (@UNICEF_SriLanka) October 12, 2015

Tendulkar and Muralitharan closed out the session indulging in a game of cricket with their expectant fans.