After his social media post on Tuesday seeking donation for former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi’s charity triggered a storm, former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh on Wednesday said he never intended to hurt anyone and his call for help has been “blown out of proportion”.

Yuvraj, nominated by former India teammate Harbhajan Singh, had posted Twitter messages calling for donations to Afridi’s charity foundation to combat the Covid-19 pandemic.

The messages triggered an avalanche of criticism from social media users in India, given the frosty political ties between the two countries. On Tuesday evening, #ShameonYuviBhajji was trending on Twitter.

“I really don’t understand how a message to help the most vulnerable gets blown out of proportion,” Yuvraj tweeted on Wednesday, which Harbhajan has retweeted.

“All I tried to achieve via that message was that to help people in our respective countries by providing healthcare, my intention was not to hurt anyone’s feelings. I am an Indian and I will always bleed blue and will always stand for humanity. Jai hind,” Yuvraj added.

Afridi had thanked both Yuvraj and Harbhajan for supporting his charity initiative.

“This bond we have shows love and peace transgresses borders when it comes to humanity especially,” Afridi had said.

Hundreds of people in both India and Pakistan have been infected by the deadly coronaviurs, which has killed more than 45,000 people the world over. In India, the death toll has risen past 40, while the number of dead has been placed at 26 in Pakistan, reported PTI.

(With PTI inputs)