Virat Kohli highest-earning sportsperson on Forbes' 2017 Indian celebrity list

What's the story?

A day after displacing Shah Rukh Khan as India's biggest brand in 2017, Virat Kohli found himself as the third-highest earning Indian on Forbes India's list of the 100 highest earning celebrities in the country this year.

In case you didn't know...

To calculate the earnings and their equivalent rankings, the list puts in estimates based on the celebrities' earning in their related fields. Estimates are taken from experts, management agencies (as well as advertising agencies), field consultants as well as professionals (including publishers and celebrity managers) in order to ascertain a figure.

The heart of the matter

Bollywood actors Salman Khan (Rs 232.83 crore) and Shah Rukh Khan (Rs 170.5 crore) continue to be the biggest earning celebrities in the country, with Kohli (Rs 100.72 crore) following them in the third position.

Other prominent Indian cricketers include Sachin Tendulkar, who is second in the sports list at (Rs 82.50 crore), while Kohli's captaincy predecessor, MS Dhoni is third (Rs 63.77 crore). Spinner Ravichandran Ashwin (Rs 34.67 crore) is the fourth-highest-earning cricketer, followed by Ravindra Jadeja, who stands fifth. A total of 21 sporting icons are part of the top-100.

What's next?

Having taken a break from the Sri Lanka limited-overs series, Kohli will be back in action for the upcoming tour of South Africa that begins from January 5.

Author's take

Having already left a legacy in the game, despite playing less than a decade of international cricket, Kohli is one of the most sought-after brands in the sport, and an icon for budding cricketers and the youth of the country.

Having beaten Lionel Messi in Forbes' Top 10 list of the most valuable celebrities in 2017, Kohli has proven that he is also a global brand, set to achieve greater glories in the future.