Virat Kohli could eclipse MS Dhoni as highest earning Indian sportsman

Agencies
November 27, 2018

New Delhi, Nov 27: Being the highest profile athlete in the world's second most populous country, India cricket captain Virat Kohli has built such a formidable brand across the spectrum that even his occasional brash and indiscreet comments fail to tarnish it.

Watches, cars, sports shoes, motorbikes, clothes, ride services, tires, snacks, health foods, headphones - even toothbrushes -- they have all had the Kohli marketing treatment.

The 30-year-old cricketer with tattooed arms and coiffured hair currently endorses 21 brands including Tissot, Audi, Puma, Uber and Hero, pushing him into the Forbes's 2018 list of the world's 100 highest-paid athletes.

Coming in at No. 83 on the back of his estimated $24 million income over the previous 12 months, Kohli is the world's top earning cricketer and comes in ahead of other high-profile athletes such as Novak Djokovic and Sergio Aguero.

It is unlikely he would ever be able to challenge the likes of current Forbes' No.1 Floyd Mayweather or No. 2 Lionel Messi due to cricket's appeal being mostly tied to a small batch of predominantly Commonwealth countries.

However, he could soon eclipse Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the highest earning Indian sportsman ever. Former India cricket captain Dhoni earned $31 million in 2015 as he promoted a series of brands.

His success off the pitch is matched by his prowess on it.

A prolific scorer of runs, on Sunday he produced a match winning innings to help India to victory over Australia and his performances have ensured he enjoys rock star status in the cricket-mad country of 1.3 billion.

He wed actress Anushka Sharma last year to create a marriage between cricket and Bollywood, India's two biggest obsessions, helping give him a 'family man' image that can appeal to a middle class audience - and harness its spending power.

That does not mean he has lost traction with India's youth.

"The youth of the country - and more than half of India's population are under 25 - can identify themselves with the man living their dream," said Kohli biographer Vijay Lokapally.

Kohli has a strong social media presence with over 37 million fans on Facebook and is followed by more than 25 million on Instagram and 27.1 million on Twitter.

"He speaks his mind, takes stands, interacts on social media - all of it goes well with his fans," Lokapally said, describing Kohli as "complete theatre".

PREPARED TO SHOCK

His sponsors have had a bumpy ride at times.

When a cricket fan recently described Kohli, the world's top ranked test batsman, as "overrated" and said he would rather watch Australian and English batsmen than "these Indians", Kohli responded with both barrels.

"You should go and live somewhere else, you know," he said in a video posted on his personal telephone app, which he uses to interact with fans and sell merchandise.

"Why are you living in our country and loving other countries? I don't mind you not liking me but I don't think you should live in our country..."

Kohli later said he was "all for freedom of choice" and while the episode burnished his reputation as being touchy about criticism it did little to damage his brand

Quite the opposite, said Tuhin Mishra, managing director of sports marketing firm Baseline Ventures.

"Such frankness can actually boost the brand, provided it aligns with the brand's message," said Mishra, whose firm manages other Indian cricketers including Ravindra Jadeja and Prithvi Shaw.

"After all, brands also want to be seen as patriotic."

"Sports and Bollywood stars usually avoid controversies, but fans want their icons to have a voice," he added.

Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment, the company which represents Kohli, declined to discuss his endorsements and sponsorships.

According to Forbes, $20 million of his total comes from endorsements and $4 million from salary and so-called "winnings", which would include prize money.

Kohli's earnings could continue to increase thanks to India's strong growth - it is the fastest growing large economy in the world and that should mean many more marketing dollars - and the obsessive interest in cricket here and across the Indian diaspora.

He has smoothed out some of his rough edges. He does not endorse soft drinks or skin-lightening cream anymore, advocates a healthy lifestyle, and comes across as a family man and a leader.

He fights for salary hikes for his players, demands that players' partners be allowed on tours, and seeks to influence who is appointed team coach.

Mishra of Baseline Ventures said Kohli's appeal had evolved.

"As an aggressive youngster, he was attractive to certain brands then. As married, mature and responsible captain of the team, he is attractive to another set of brands now," he said.

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Agencies
February 26,2020

It could be Virat Kohli versus Faf du Plessis in the Asia XI-World XI two-match T20 series that has been organised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on March 18 and 21 -- subject to the India skipper confirming his availability.

The matches will be played to celebrate the 100th anniversary of their founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The BCB is awaiting a confirmation from Kohli as well as K.L. Rahul for the March 18 game as India are set to play South Africa on the same day in the final ODI of a three-match series at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Agencies had earlier reported that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) President Sourav Ganguly had sent the names of Kohli, Mohammed Shami, Shikhar Dhawan and Kuldeep Yadav to the BCB for the two matches. And they all feature in the Asia XI team with the addition of wicket-keeper Rishabh Pant and Rahul.

Announcing the names, BCB President Nazmul Hassan said: "We have already received four names from India. We haven't signed contracts but Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Shikhar Dhawan and Mohammed Shami are supposed to come. They have said K.L. Rahul and Virat Kohli will play one game each, but that hasn't been finalised.

"Players like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have finalised with us, from Afghanistan. Nepal's Sandeep Lamichhane will play while from Sri Lanka, we will have Lasith Malinga and Thisara Perera. From Bangladesh, we will have Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mustafizur Rahman, Mahmudullah and Liton Das.

"I don't remember all the names, but we will have three or four players from South Africa. Definitely, there will be the same number of players from West Indies. Australia and New Zealand will be playing but we will try to find some (players). Bairstow is definitely coming. Ngidi is coming. Chris Gayle is supposed to play. Faf du Plessis. We will have some of the best players around. We are uncertain about Pakistan since the PSL is will be ongoing. We will invite some of the cricketing greats."

Squads: Asia XI: Virat Kohli*, K.L. Rahul*, Rishabh Pant, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohammed Shami, Shikhar Dhawan, Tamim Iqbal, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Thisara Perera, Rashid Khan, Mustifizur Rehman, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lasith Malinga, Muzeeb ur Rehman

World XI: Alex Hales, Chris Gayle, Faf du Plessis (Captain), Nicholas Pooran, Ross Taylor, Jonny Bairstow, Kieron Pollard, Adil Rashid, Sheldon Cottrell, Lungi Ngidi, Andrew Tye, Mitchell McClenaghan. (Coach: Tom Moody)

Note: (*) For one game; Kohli's selection subject to confirmation.

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News Network
May 3,2020

New Delhi, May 3: In a startling revelation, India speedster Mohammed Shami has claimed that he thought of committing suicide thrice while battling personal issues a few years ago, forcing his family to keep a watch over him at all times.

He said his family members feared he "might jump" from their 24th floor apartment.

Shami, one of India's leading bowlers in recent years, opened up on his personal and professional life during an Instagram chat with teammate and limited overs squads' vice-captain Rohit Sharma.

"I think if my family had not supported me back then I would have lost my cricket. I thought of committing suicide three times during that period due to severe stress and personal problems," Shami revealed during the session on Saturday.

Now one of the mainstays of Indian bowling attack across formats, the 29-year-old was struggling to focus on his cricket, then.

"I was not thinking about cricket at all. We were living on the 24th floor. They (family) were scared I might jump from the balcony. My brother supported me a lot.

"My 2-3 friends used to stay with me for 24 hours. My parents asked me to focus on cricket to recover from that phase and not think about anything else. I started training then and sweated it out a lot at an academy in Dehradun," Shami said.

In March 2018, Shami's wife Hasin Jahan had accused him of domestic violence and lodged a complaint with the police, following which the India player and his brother were booked under relevant sections.

The upheaval in his personal life forced his employer BCCI to withheld the player's central contracts for a while.

"Rehab was stressful as the same exercises are repeated every day. Then family problems started and I also suffered an accident. The accident happened 10-12 days ahead of the IPL and my personal problems were running high in the media," Shami told Rohit.

Shami said his family stood like a rock with him and the support helped him get back on his feet.

"Then my family explained that every problem has a solution no matter how big the problem. My brother supported me a lot."

Speaking about another painful period in his life after his injury in the 2015 World Cup, Shami said it took him almost 18 months to get back on the field.

"When I got injured in the 2015 World Cup, after that it took me 18 months to fully recover, that was the most painful moment in my life, it was a very stressful period.

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News Network
February 12,2020

Mount Maunganui, Feb 12: India captain Virat Kohli on Tuesday berated his bowlers for their mediocre performance as he tried to explain the team's first ODI series whitewash in over three decades, saying that the visitors lacked composure all through.

The five-wicket defeat here meant that India lost the series 0-3 to an injury-plagued New Zealand that had been deflated by a 0-5 whitewash of its own in the T20 format just last week. It was India's first whitewash in 31 years in an ODI series in which all matches have been played.

"The games were not as bad as the scoreline suggests. It boils down to those chances that we didn't grab. I don't think it was not enough to win games in international cricket," Kohli said in the post-match presentation.

"With the ball, we were not able to make breakthroughs, we were not at all good on the field. We haven't played so badly but when you don't grab those chances, you don't deserve to win," he added.

"Batsmen coming back from tough situations was a positive sign for us, but the way we fielded and bowled, the composure wasn't enough to win games," he asserted.

The ineffectiveness of Indian bowlers can be gauged from the fact that the team's pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah finished the series without a wicket and the attack couldn't dismiss the complete rival line-up even once.

Kohli lauded New Zealand for bouncing back after the T20 hammering.

"New Zealand played with lot more intensity. We didn't deserve to win because we did not show enough composure," he said.

The batting mainstay is looking forward to the Test series, which begins on February 21, to make amends for the disappointment.

"I think because of the Test Championship, every match has that more importance. We have a really balanced Test team and we feel we can win the series here, but we need to step on to the park with the right kind of mindset," he said.

His opposite number Kane Williamson, who missed the first two games due to injury, was lavish in his praise for the home team's grit.

"An outstanding performance, very clinical. India put us under pressure, but the way the guys fought back with the ball and kept them to a par total. The cricket in the second half was outstanding to see," he said referring to the side's effortless chase of a 297-run target.

"We know how good they (India) are at all formats but for us the clarity about the roles the guys had was the most important thing. Outstanding effort against a brilliant India side," he added.

Player of the Match Henry Nicholls, who scored 80 on Tuesday, said his team benefitted from good batting starts during the series.

"To come back and win 3-0 after the T20Is is nice. The way (Martin) Guptill played today allowed us to get ahead. We got a 100-run stand, but we were fortunate enough to get good starts this series," he said.

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