Virat Kohli: The King is here to stay

Je ne sais quoi – A marketable dream

Labdhapraam, Loss of Gains

The story tells of a symbiotic relationship between the monkey and the crocodile. The crocodile risks the liaison by conspiring to acquire the heart of the monkey to heal his wife. When the monkey finds out the plan, he avoids the grim fate.

In today’s world, a sportsman or woman does not simply play a sport; they wear outfits that are covered wholly by logos of brands and organizations that ride on the popularity of the player to promote their business. One might think it’s all hunky dory but my sense is that at times the enormous fervor around young and upcoming players can ride them off the cliff.

Stories of drugs, match fixing and alcoholism have nipped many a career in the bud. A champion player does not necessarily revel in front of the camera. There are some who even shy away completely and then are some who look like they born in front of one.

People Magazine voted David Beckham the sexist man in 2015. Cristiano Ronaldo is known to be a treat to the fairer sex’ sore eyes. The panache and machismo come naturally to some of the larger than life celebrities. Some crave the attention and bask in the sunshine, loving every moment. It requires a certain something, je ne sais quoi…

Virat Kohli matches his on-field displays with a presence in front of the cameras and on social media. He was ranked no.2 most marketable sportsman in 2014 across all sports. He is the definition of a superstar in the Indian marketing world, having overtaken Sachin and MS Dhoni. The above list took into account sports players from all over the world.

Multi-million deals with MRF, Adidas, Boost & Pepsi who have handed the baton from Sachin to Virat. Owner of a clothing brand, FC Goa and the UAE Royals. His garage is lined up with an Audi, a Lamborghini Gallardo, a Range Rover among others.

The waves are truly full power. I only hope that the cynics go easy on the man when times are tough. Winter will come and when it does the accusations of distractions will be all that hits the front pages and that will be the true test of a champion.