Indian skipper Virat Kohli urges people to approach the lockdown with seriousness amid COVID-19 fears

Over the last few weeks, cricketers have used their time off to take to social media to try and raise awareness regarding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Indian captain Virat Kohli has been a prominent figure in this regard and has already shared messages to help people understand the gravity of the ongoing situation.

On Friday, 27 March, the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper took to Twitter once again with an important message to the citizens of India. He began the video by addressing the crowd not as the spectacular cricketer that Kohli is, but as an Indian citizen.

The Delhi-born batsman began,

"Hello, I am Virat Kohli. Today I am speaking to you not as an India player, but as a citizen of the country. What I have seen in the last few days – people moving in groups, not abiding by curfew rules, not following lockdown guidelines – it shows that we are taking the fight very lightly. But this fight is not as easy as it looks."

The 31-year-old continued by presenting the viewers with a hypothetical situation wherein a family member gets impacted by the coronavirus due to one's negligence. Kohli urged the citizens to abide by the guidelines laid out by the government and other organisations during such trying circumstances. The right-handed batsman also went on to say that acts such as violating the curfew in his eyes are equivalent of acting against the country's best interests.

Kohli continued,

"I wish to request everyone to please maintain social distancing and follow it. Also, we should follow the directives given by the government and just for once think how you would feel if due to your negligence someone in your family gets affected by the virus. Please follow the experts as they are working very hard. It will only be successful when we follow our duties rather than going out in groups and breaking rules. This for me is an act against the country's well-being."

Please wake up to the reality and seriousness of the situation and take responsibility. The nation needs our support and honesty. pic.twitter.com/ZvOb0qgwIV

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 27, 2020

The skipper ended on a positive note with another kind plea to abide by the rules set in place to avoid the spread of COVID-19, saying,

"So now, I along with all of you wish to see things improve and please follow the directives of the government. Jai Hind!"

The 21-day nation-wide lockdown was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday night to fight the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The spread of the virus has led to the suspension of almost all top sports leagues in the world including the NFL, NBA, Premier League, and more.

In India, the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League was scheduled to begin on March 29 but has now been pushed to April 15.