IPL XIII can wait till millions of lives, which are at risk due to the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, are saved, feels veteran India batsman Suresh Raina.

Raina has already done his bit in this fight by donating Rs 52 lakh. Ask him about IPL XIII, which has been suspended until April 15 but is unlikely to take place in the near future, Raina says “it is all about life” at the moment.

“Life is most important at this point in time. IPL can surely wait. We all need to follow the government’s guidelines on lockdown else we all face the consequences. When life gets better, we can think about the IPL. So many people are dying at the moment, we need to save lives,” Raina said.

While spreading awareness on the importance of staying home during the ongoing 21-day lockdown in the country through social media, the 33-year-old is trying to be the perfect homemaker as his wife recovers from the birth of their second child, son Rio, last week.

In normal circumstances, Raina, who last turned out for India in 2018, would have been playing in the IPL, but instead he is enjoying cooking for his family as well as helping out with domestic chores. Raina was always a “family man” but says the current crisis has shown why “we need to appreciate life much more than we do”.

“I am relaxing in the lockdown, cooking and spending time with the kids. There is so much more to life than cricket, moments like these make you realise that. With this lockdown, people should realise the importance of being down to earth.”