New Delhi, Apr 6 (IANS): Hockey wizard Dhanraj Pillay has contributed Rs 5 lakh to the PM-CARES fund as the country fights the coronavirus outbreak. The world has come to a standstill due to the pandemic and sporting events across the globe have either been cancelled or suspended.

Earlier in the day, ace cueist Pankaj Advani also jumped in to help those in need in these troubled times by donating Rs 5 lakh to the PM-CARES Fund.

Taking to Twitter, Advani wrote: "A small gesture for a mammoth cause. Contributed Rs 5 Lakhs to the PM CARES Fund. Let's spread awareness, love, compassion and the spirit of unity for the greater good of humanity. Jai Hind! #PMCARESFund #COVID19 @narendramodi @PMOIndia @KirenRijiju."

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday spoke to 49 sports personalities that included the likes of BCCI President Sourav Ganguly, Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, cricket great Sachin Tendulkar, badminton world champion P.V. Sindhu and chess legend Viswanathan Anand as the country fights the coronavirus pandemic.

Speaking after the interaction with PM Modi, Tendulkar had said: "The PM highlighted and reaffirmed my belief that we should not let our guard down after the 14th of April, & how we manage that period will be very critical.

"We also spoke about mental fitness being as important as physical fitness during this phase, & shared what I'm doing at home to keep fit.

"This is the time for our entire nation to come together and keep each other motivated. Like team spirit wins us games in sports, our nation should work as one team to overcome this!"

Sportspersons from across all fields have tried their best to help the government fight the outbreak. Most have gone ahead and not only made donations, but also used their social media platforms to spread awareness about the directives issued by the health department in this battle against coronavirus.