Indian cricket great Tendulkar tests positive for COVID-19

MUMBAI, India (AP) — Indian cricket great Sachin Tendulkar has tested positive for the coronavirus and is quarantining at home.

The 47-year-old Tendulkar, test cricket’s all time leading run-scorer, reported Saturday that he tested positive “following mild symptoms.”

“I’ve quarantined myself at home and am following all the necessary protocols as advised by my doctors,” he said on Twitter.

Tendulkar, who scored 15,921 runs in test cricket, thanked “all the healthcare professionals who are supporting me and many others across the country.”

India has had more than 160,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Cases had been plummeting since September but began spiking last month.

Health officials said Wednesday that a new and potentially troublesome variant has been detected in India, as have variants first detected in the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil.

They cautioned, however, against linking the variants with an ongoing surge in new infections in India.

Tendulkar retired in 2013 after playing his 200th test match.