Brand Kohli Firm, Rohit's Legacy Tested

While Kohli's long-standing popularity remains strong despite recent challenges, Rohit's brand legacy, built on leadership, faces risks due to his form

- Varuni Khosla

Despite recent challenges in the Test series against Australia during the Border-Gavaskar trophy, batsman Virat Kohli's brand value should largely stay unaffected, but captain Rohit Sharma could see a dip in his advertising career in the long run after retirement.

During the matches, Sharma, the senior batter and captain, "opted out" due to his struggling form, which surprised fans but was welcomed by advertisers who learned that he was not retiring.

Brand and advertising experts told Mint brand Kohli will continue to prosper, provided his performance improves in the upcoming one-day series in June and the Indian Premier League; but in contrast, Sharma's longer-term brand, built largely on his leadership qualities, could face some risks due to his recent struggles with form. His marketability will still be strong over the next few years.

Kohli's endorsement portfolio includes major brands like MRF and HSBC India, while Sharma endorses brands like Swiggy, Instamart, Ixigo, and others.

As the focus shifted on Kohli, he too was fined 20% of his match fee and a demerit point for breaching level 1 of the ICC's Code of Conduct for aggressively bumping into Australian batsman Sam Konstas.